The MCC World Cricket Committee has described the reorganzation of the World Cup to a 10-team event as "a retrograde step" and "called for T20 cricket to become an Olympic sport," according to George Dobell of ESPN. Calling for a rethink of the Int'l Cricket Coucil's decision to "cut the number of participants in future World Cups from 14 to 10, the committee criticised the move as 'a handbrake for the development of the sport.'" Instead, it has "recommended a 12-team tournament preceded by a 'preliminary qualification round'" for the "lower ranked Full Member teams and the top Associate Nations." Intriguingly, the committee suggested that the England & Wales Cricket Boad had been "against cricket's inclusion in the Olympics in the past" but suggested it was now "more open to the idea." The committee described its decision to pursue involvement in the Olympics as "unanimous;" a "revealing choice of words" bearing in mind that ICC CEO Dave Richardson sits upon it (ESPN, 7/14). In London, Tom Collomosse wrote the committee's function is to "lobby the ICC to make the changes they believe would improve the game." A statement from the committee read, "The committee is unanimous in its belief that every effort should be made to make cricket an Olympic sport, and urges all governing bodies around the world to get behind such a bid. The Olympics is a fundamental opportunity for cricket -- in both the men's and women's game -- and with a global reach, such a presence would expose the game positively to new markets" (EVENING STANDARD, 7/14).
