So as 2012 draws to a close it is time to reflect on a milestone year for Associate and Affiliate nations. It has been a year when the game has reflected on its future and the ICC on its role. In commissioning Lord Woolf's Review the ICC could not have imagined that he would call for such widespread and urgent reform.

To what extent his recommendations are endorsed remains to be seen, with the arcane governance structure that came in for such stinging rebuke likely to shield the full members from the reprioritisation and modernisation that is so urgently required. In calling for the promotion of two new full members by 2014 Woolf put a proverbial cat amongst the pigeons and raised more than a few eyebrows in the process.

Emboldened by on field success and Woolf's clarion call for change Ireland made a formal bid for full membership. Whether this was with a genuine expectation of success or to force the ICC to be transparent about eligibility criteria I can only guess, but if it only results in the latter then all leading associates have reasons to be thankful.

The launch of the TAPP funding scheme was another welcome step forward, enabling top associates to increase exposure to full member opposition and opening the door to the creation of first class domestic leagues.

For years associate players have cited full member or full member development squad opposition as a critical catalyst for development. 2012 saw Bangladesh face Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands at T20 and suffer several defeats. With 2013 seeing the curtain drawn on CB40 participation HPP nations are increasingly looking to populate their calendars with a mixture of top grade, and by that I literally mean first class, domestic/regional fixtures and official fixtures against full members. TAPP funding should enable this, subject to full members being prepared to take the risk of committing to banana skin fixtures.

In parallel to these milestones 2012 saw the belated appreciation that associate cricket is a marketable product. The T20 qualifier in Dubai was covered by ESPN and through internet streaming by Quipu TV, with audience figures very encouraging. And those that tuned in were treated to an exciting, competitive and dramatic spectacle.

Indeed the performances of some stars, notably Paul Stirling and Dawlat Ahmadzai, saw the tournament seen as a shop window for IPL selection. The rivalry between Ireland and Afghanistan has surely become one of the most hotly contested and captivating in world cricket. And this was reflected in coverage in the mainstream cricketing press.

Despite, or perhaps because of, such a milestone year there are plenty of questions to be posed on the eve of 2013. Here are just a few:

• If the ICC do not intend to increase the ranks of full members what objectives should leading associates strive for?
• if this is the case what role does the Intercontinental Cup play?
• If domestic leagues are awarded first class status and prove commercially viable will this create a career path for cricketers outside test nations? If so, could this be a long term pathway to full member status?
• If associate cricket continues to prove itself a popular, marketable product will the ICC be tempted to increase the HPP programme and extend ODI status to the likes of Namibia, UAE, Uganda and Nepal?
• Will the ICC be brave enough to promote their own product by taking a more inclusive approach to how they classify fixtures, for instance by giving ODI status to the top three or four leagues of the WCL?
• To the same end will the ICC provide an incentive to leading associates by enabling the winners of the Intercontinental and the WCL to play off against the lowest ranked full members?
• Will the ‘Project Million' participation target see a reduction in emphasis on performance and a contraction of competitive fixtures for lower ranked associates and affiliates?

This time next year we may have an answer to these questions and a clearer idea of what the structure of international cricket will be in the future. 2012 has been a milestone year, but 2013 may reveal the proof in the pudding.