Sanity restored, we can all dare to dream again

THE collective sigh of relief could be heard throughout Scotland - and 94 other countries.

A serious wrong has been righted. A vigorous rearguard campaign by the beleaguered so-called Associate nations has eventually prevailed. The shadow over a largely anti-climactic Saltires season - notwithstanding last week's highly commendable ODI Dutch double - has been lifted.

It's all down to last week's decision by the ICC Executive Board - including that sanguine voice of Scottish sense at the top table, Keith Oliver - to ditch their dire decision on a ten-team World Cup 2015. Reversion to a 14-team format means nothing short of a restoration of hope. Dreams of glory, the lifeblood of any sport, have returned.

Scotland captain Gordon Drummond defined the original decision as "a mockery". Irish skipper William Porterfield spoke for most when he branded it "an absolute disgrace, an embarrassment and a joke" - a view robustly endorsed by Cricket Scotland CEO Roddy Smith: "It is simply wrong and against everything that sport is based on - fair competition and meritocracy." Ireland had even more reason than the Scots to resent the change, having advanced up the world's rankings to tenth, above Zimbabwe, and having memorably beaten England in this year's World Cup, in which Kevin O'Brien hit the fastest century in the competition's history - only to be denied a return entry. Absurd.

Particularly pertinent to Scotland, Porterfield had further predicted a domesday scenario of a damagingly accelerating player drain, with ever more aspiring players from Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland following his own path and seeking entry to the English county scene in the hope of some day playing for England. Why settle for a few Intercontinental Cup ties, a T20 World Cup and a few ad hoc ODIs when you could play regular international cricket with a major country and, crucially, reach for the prize pinnacle of a World Cup slot? Ask Eoin Morgan.

Looking further ahead, the ICC have further announced that the 2019 World Cup will be a ten-team event, but, vitally, a meritocratic element, albeit attenuated, will be retained. The top eight in the Reliance ICC rankings will qualify automatically, but the remaining two slots will be decided by a qualification competition. Participation will rightly depend not solely on your Full Member status, but on your qualities as a cricket team. The Saltires dream is resurrected.