One of the recurring themes on the associate grapevine and amongst the non Test twitterati is the injustice that Zimbabwe plays Test cricket and is afforded Full Member grants. This has been heightened of late by two factors, its abject performances on the field and the award of TAPP funding, a pot many think should be limited to HPP associate nations.

There is a feeling that Ireland and perhaps other leading associates are as good if not better and yet are deprived of the opportunity of proving it. It smacks of preferential treatment and enrages those who instinctively feel structures should be meritocratic and fair. Anyone who read the Woolf Report, or mine or other reviews of it, will know that the structure of the ICC is arcane and supports the status quo self interest of current full members. However, the ICC have recently taken a decision, lost somewhat amid the understandable furore over the limitation of future World Cup to ten teams, to reduce the opportunities and entitlements of its weaker full members.

• The 9th and 10th ranked Full Members will not automatically qualify for World Cups. They will have to pre-qualify against the best of the rest.
• Even automatic qualification will not be based on the historic entitlement of being a full member but on ranking. The ranking system and the lack of games played by leading associates makes it very difficult for them to get an official ODI ranking at all, let alone break into the top 8. But they could, and therefore this should be a target.
• Dave Richardson has indicated that ODI associates will be factored into the Future Tours Programme. With Zimbabwe and Bangladesh playing much fewer Tests than the rest this represents a closing of the gap. This is an indication that the ICC is privately aware that Zimbabwe and Bangladesh are not performing at full member level and therefore they are doing what they can to limit their exposure. A weak, uncompetitive full member is an issue for them, as media partners want all games at global events to be box office.

It has always been assumed that the closing of the gap between associates and weaker full members meant the associate bridging the gap. Now, it seems, it is as much a case of the weaker full member sinking, making the gap narrower. The traditional differences were: Test status, 1st class domestic league, guaranteed international fixtures , voting rights and full member grant. They play precious few Tests and TAPP funding is increasing the ODIs and T20Is that HPP associates play. European associates are embarking on domestic 1st class cricket. So that leaves voting rights and a larger full member grant. The distinction is becoming more blurred.

In the case of Bangladesh there is no doubt that they were given full member status too early. Leading associates have been the victim of this as the ICC doesn't want to make the same mistake again. The simple answer is to de-link full member status with playing Tests. But a full member is not going to vote to deprive themselves of Test cricket or the income it generates. So it becomes a moot point.

Zimbabwe briefly had a competitive Test team before politics intervened. The likes of Andy Flower, Paul Strang and Heath Streak were high quality players. But that was then. The current team is a shadow of what it once was, even of the Zimbabwean teams that dominated the ICC Trophy in the decade before Test elevation.

Woolf advocated that membership criteria should be reviewed. If this was adopted would Zimbabwe have to be demoted from full membership? It is another moot point. What is seldom written about Zimbabwe is that they do not field their best team. British based Anthony Ireland, Sean Ervine, Murray Goodwin, Glen Querl and England Lion Gary Ballance would all strengthen their squad. Similarly their domestic structure does not include some of the best Zimbabwean players. In short, it is a mess. At times it descends from a mess to become a farce.

It is tempting to think that the ICC should do something about it. But you see that isn't their job. They organise and make money from global events, regulate the game and tackle corruption. Zimbabwe's plight is embarrassing for them, but it isn't within their jurisdiction. They are doing all they can to clip their wings.

I wrote a piece last year defining a new Associate Plus membership category, where the HPP associates have higher grants, greater exposure and higher status matches than others. It is looking very much now that there is a Full Member Lite category emerging too, where qualification is not assured and Test matches kept to a minimum. The gap between these two categories is closing.

The target for Ireland, on the field at least, is not Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, they can match them currently, but West Indies and New Zealand. It is the top 8 ODI ranking they need to set their sights on, for this will bring qualification and the riches and exposure that comes with it.