A round of applause for the ineptitude of the ICC

Every sport wants to expand its horizons. Football held its last World Cup in Africa, the NBA and NFL are playing matches in London and just last month two English Clubs played out a Rugby Union fixture in Abu Dhabi. They all want to find new markets, seek out new opportunities and most of all want to spread their game as far and wide as possible.

All seems rather logical, doesn't it?

And yet, the ICC continues to defy logic. Their decision to cut the 50-over World Cup from 14 teams to 10 for 2015 - excluding the associate nations from the competition - is not only short-sighted but detrimental to the game world-wide. They claim their decision is based on a desire to maintain competitive standards in the competition and instead want associate nations to develop through exposure to the T20 World Cup each year.

But they really are missing a trick. Of course we want a competitive World Cup played out over a reasonable period of time - nobody in Cricket would argue otherwise - but that doesn't mean that we want to discourage developing nations in the process. How do the ICC propose Ireland, Kenya Canada and the Netherlands incentivise their players when they only have one competition to strive for each year? How does the Irish Cricket Board keep people like George Dockrell and the O 'Brien brothers from looking towards representing England in the future, if they are only able to play T20 on the World Stage?

Ironically, some of the associate nations are giving the 'heavyweight' nations more competitive Cricket then there fellow top-tier relatives have done in recent weeks, leaving egg on the faces of the governing body. But, it's not just this recent World Cup that has seen upsets and matches belying the form book. As recent as 2003, Kenya shocked the World and reached the semi-final of the competition and in 2007 Ireland were able to reach the knockout stages in the Caribbean. Does that not represent competition and progress?

Undoubtedly, the continued participation of smaller nations in the T20 World Cup is encouraging for the cricketing community and there is value to the argument that the shorter form of the game will allow the associates to be more competitive on a regular basis. But that doesn't make up for or mask the enormity of the decision to take away 50-over Cricket from developing sides.

By cutting the size of the World Cup, the ICC are not only taking the 'World' (so aptly put by Mr Swann) out of their premier ODI competition, but they're also showing their true colours on how committed they are to expanding the game. Bullied by the corporate aims of the superpowers and predictably lured by increased television revenues, the governing body are seemingly crushing the progress made in the associate nations over the past ten years.

Good to know the game is in safe hands.

Ready, Steady...Panic

If we're in the middle of a recession then somebody failed to mention it to the Premier League Football clubs willing to pay extortionate fees this January. First we had Edin Dzeko move to Manchester City for 27 million pounds, then Aston Villa parted with 18 million (subject to rise to 24) to bring Darren Bent to the midlands. If that wasn't enough, deadline day saw an incredible splurge of activity as Liverpool brought in the Uruguyan Luiz Suarez for over £22 million as well as splashing £35 million pounds on Newcastle's Andy Carroll. Leaving Anfield was the talismanic Fernando Torres who moved to the capital to join Chelsea for £50 million and the champions weren't finished there; also adding the Benfica centre half David Luiz for in excess of £20 million. A window full of activity and money spent aplenty.

Each club will argue that the money spent represents the quality they are buying and in some cases that remains true but if anybody thought that Carroll was worth £35 million prior to the 31st of January 2011 then they were certainly keeping quiet about it.

It's clear that the man, who until recently wanted to be a 'Geordie legend', has considerable talent and you won't get many doubting that he has the attributes to succeed at the highest level. Carroll is tall, athletic, strong, powerful in the air and has an element of skill not necessarily associated with your stereotypical 'targetman'. He's taken to the Premier League, like a duck to water, and his record over the first half of the season would suggest that he's destined to achieve not only in the top flight but on the international stage as well.

So why the furore over his transfer?

Liverpool have taken a punt and a ridiculous one at that. To spend £35 million pounds on a 22 year old, who has played only half a season of Premier League football, is excessive to say the least and reflects the sort of gamble that a club would only take on deadline day. Forget the potential of the lad, forget how Newcastle valued him and forget the amount of money brought into the club by the sale of Torres. Liverpool have splashed this money out of sheer panic and will rue their decision to blow this much on a player of Carroll's calibre. £35 million should be reserved for a world class player and not for an individual who looks like he may be able to, one day, grow into a top class striker in the Premier League. You might argue that it's the market inflating prices but the deal smacks of desperation from a Liverpool board looking to cover for the loss of Torres and Newcastle have done an incredible piece of business.

Remember this; Michael Ricketts had a good season once....

'One step forward...'

The Autumn Internationals saw an England side progressing towards the World Cup with such promise that you could be forgiven for thinking they had an outside chance of contending for the ultimate prize. Okay so they were out-classed by the All Blacks and beaten up by a monster South African pack, but some valuable lessons were learned and the quite brilliant manner in which they dispatched Australia gave hope to the nation that this group of fresh faced individuals might just have a successful future on the International stage.

Fast forward a couple of months and that optimistic outlook has been shelved again. Injuries to key players and question marks over some of the important selections has put paid to that and a feeling of uncertainty has crept in. England aren't ready and this World Cup was always going to come too soon, but all of a sudden challenging France for the Six Nations crown looks a little less feasible and there is a fear that the developments ongoing under Johnson could stagnate.

It's not so much the injuries to Lawes, Croft and Moody, because they can't be helped, but who they are to be replaced by. England's improvement has resulted from the selection of a different breed of forward and by reverting to able and try-hard plodders they risk undermining the style they've developed in the last year. With all due respect to Louis Deacon and Joe Worsley, who have been and still are outstanding professionals, they don't offer the same impact, threat or skills set to the men they are replacing and more importantly they don't offer the same dynamism.

International Rugby has moved on. Gone are the days of the Lock who got by on his setpiece and rucking alone. All of a sudden a Second Row is expected to be able to pass and carry the ball, tackle in the tight but now in the loose also and generally act as an extra backrower. In Lawes, England have produced a new breed but in selecting Deacon they revert to the plodding option who isn't going to throw the pass that sends Chris Ashton the length of the field. The same goes for Worsley. Make no mistake about it, the brute from Wasps tackles and boy he tackles hard but it's more of a case of what he doesn't do than what he does. Joe doesn't offer a lineout option, he doesn't carry well in the loose and he certainly isn't going to 'corner-flag' like Croft does.

Perhaps there isn't the pool of players available to Johnson to continue the style they've developed? Maybe Worsley and Deacon will perform admirably in this upcoming Six Nations? Only time will tell. Let's just hope that we don't hear that dreadful phrase from every microphone of every pundit this February when referring to England; 'One step forward...'.

Where there's a Wilshere, there's a Way

So England went to the World Cup and got embarrased. The media went into a frenzy, the public went home disappointed and the phrase 'I told you so' was so overused in every pub in the country that it's now safely been put away under lock and key until the next International tournament of any note. Not particularly groundbreaking stuff is it?

By the time the new season came around, Englands exit was a distant memory as fans engrossed themselves once more in the vibrant multicultural world that is; Premier League football. The national teams issues had been shelved once again, under the assertion that we'll probably qualify for the Euro's with relative ease, and nobody really made a song and dance about it.

In fact the whole process felt a bit cyclical, like we'd been here before too regularly. And yet, despite the depressing manner in which we were catapulted out of Africa, this season has brought hope and more importantly it's brought us an opportunity. An opportunity to start fresh, to leave our old stagnant ideas, characterised by fear and failure, by the wayside and instead put faith in the new batch; the untouched batch.

Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs at Arsenal, Andy Carroll at Newcastle, Martin Kelly at Liverpool and Jordan Henderson at Sunderland head a list of talented young players that need to be catapulted into the England squad and exposed properly to the vigours of International Football in the early years of their career. Forget inexperience and forget whether they are good enough to win the World Cup now. They are the future and the sooner they become regulars, in not just the England squad but in the starting team, the sooner we can properly build for the World Cup in 2014.

In Wilshere, England have an artist. Somebody in the Xavi/Iniesta mould who is constantly probing defences, with instinctive one touch passing and glorious through balls. For so long now we've had the Gerrard-Lampard question and now we have an alternative, a different style of footballer, who should be given precendence over both.

Andy Carroll is equally an interesting proposition. For too long we've berated our target men for not having either the necessary touch or composure, in the case of Heskey, or for lacking the physical presence, like Crouch. Carroll has both and will provide an excellent partner for Rooney.

Gibbs and Kelly are full backs (Kelly can also play center back) with exciting potential and although Gibbs shouldn't dispossess Cole of his shirt just yet, he has undoubtedly shown that he is the future once the Chelsea left-back comes to the end of his career.

Add Joe Hart, Wayne Rooney, Adam Johnson and Theo Walcott to the four mentioned and you've already got the basis of a fresher looking, dynamic England team ready to cause a stir at the Euro's and build towards the ultimate prize; the World Cup.

So suddenly things don't look so depressing. Maybe there are some answers? Let's just hope Fabio puts in faith in the new batch and gives it a real go.

Inside the boardroom at Ewood Park....

Inside the boardroom at Ewood Park....

Anuradha Desai: Welcome to Ewood Park Ronald. Do you mind if I call you Ronald?
Ronaldinho: (Nods)
AD: Excellent. So we want you to come and join Blackburn Rovers, we're an ambitious group of chicken fa...I mean... owners and we envisage Champions League Football in the next couple of years.
R: Well that sounds promising. Who exactly is the manager?
AD: I think his name is...hang on I'll just check my notes...that's right! His name is Steve Kean and he truly is a World Class operator.
R: I see. Are there any players of note at the club?
AD: Why yes Ronald. We have Chris Samba...oh no wait it says here in my notes that he wants to leave...hmmm oh yes that's right! We've got David Dunn, you must have heard of him?
R: (Sniggers) Do you mean the same David Dunn who is widely known for that piece of trickery in a Birmingham shirt?
AD: David played for Birmingham? Hmm interesting. You'll have to forgive me, my knowledge of Football spans only from the World Cup this summer. Yes I'd assume that very same one.
R: (Raises eyebrows) Wow yes he really is a good player... What sort of area would I be living in?
AD: Ronald! You will love the North West! Blackburn is a beautiful town, it truly is. It used to have cotton mills but they've gone now and it isn't grey at all...honest.
R: Ah yes! The weather - what am i to expect?
AD: Well it's mixed. Since we've been here it's rained but in different quantities and at different times of the day. You never know what you are going to get. Some days it rains in the morning, some days in the afternoon. Sometimes it actually rains all day. Quite a sight I'm sure you'll agree.
R: So you are telling me it just rains here?
AD: Well it has snowed. That's always fun. Colder but more fun. But who needs the Sun?
R: You do realise I'm Brazilian?
AD: (Checks notes). Oh are you? Oh right. Well it is sunny in the Summer I hear.
R: (Leaves to walk out). I'm not sure Blackburn is going to be the place for me.
AD: No wait! Ronald! I haven't even told you about your bonuses for goalscoring and appearances. We were going to give you a chicken for every goal....