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London, Apr 5 (ANI): The International Cricket Council has been accused of protecting the interests of the bigger nations after it announced to cut associate teams from the next World Cup.

The ICC confirmed that the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand would be contested by 10 teams, four fewer than the recent tournament held in the subcontinent.

It means Ireland, who are ranked 10th in the world and ahead of Zimbabwe, who are a full member nation, will not take part in the next championship despite beating England in the 2011 World Cup, The Telegraph reports.

“The conclusion can only be reached that the decisions made today were based purely on the protection of the existing membership entitlements for full members and the commercial imperative that a 10-team event delivers nine guaranteed matches for India and England,” said Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of Cricket Ireland.

“It’s nothing short of outrageous. All of the principles by which a decision should have been made in the first instance - which is what’s best for the sport and what’s acting in the best interests of all 105 members - have clearly been abandoned.

“And after such a terrific event, and the wonderful occasion of the final, where the sport was incredible and regarded in such glowing terms around the world, I’m afraid this is an absolute black day for the sport. It’s a genuinely awful decision that has been reached,” Deutrom said

Ireland captain Will Porterfield said: “We have done everything they asked of us over the last few years in terms of restructuring Irish cricket and I can’t come to terms with how they can just shut us out, do away with the qualification period and then try and call this a World Cup.”

To compensate the associates, the World Twenty20 has been expanded to 16 teams but they will not be involved in the 50-over competition until 2019 at the earliest, the next time a qualification competition will be held, The Telegraph reports. (ANI)