Of the the series of decisions that emerged from the ICC's most recent meeting in Dubai few were surprising, and fewer still bode well for the Netherlands.

The biggest headline-grabber of the weekend, namely the proposed introduction of a league structure to Test Cricket featuring the top 9 current teams and the expansion of number of Test-Playing countries to 12, are of little immediate relevance for the Netherlands, except insofar as the promised Test Challenge (which would have pitted the winner of the Intercontinental Cup against the lowest-ranked full member for a chance at temporary dispensation to play tests) seems to have been abandoned, as many predicted it would be.

Instead, it now looks almost certain that Afghanistan and Ireland will be accorded Test Status, and possibly full membership down the line, joining the unfortunate Zimbabwe to make up the "Wee Three" in the proposed 9+3 structure.

The longer format has never been a priority for the Dutch, however, and if anything these developments vindicate the KNCB's deprioritisation of the I-Cup, which they have long preferred to use as a testing ground for young players. Following last summer's heavy home defeat to Afghanistan the Netherlands' chances of topping the I-Cup are now so remote as to be practically nil.
Of far greater significance was what emerged from the meeting regarding the future structure of the one-day game. Earlier rumours of a 13 team ODI league, likely to begin in 2019, were confirmed. ICC CEO David Richardson later stated at a press conference that the 13th team, joining the ten full members plus Afghanistan and Ireland, would indeed be the winner of the 2015-17 World Cricket League Championship, currently in its 5th round.

Winning the competition has been the stated priority of the Dutch team since the outset, and they are fairly well placed to challenge for the title, currently sharing the top spot with Papua New Guinea on 12 points, albeit trailing on total wins, with Scotland and Hong Kong both one point behind on 11.

The Netherlands face the latter at Mong Kok for their next two fixtures, scheduled for the 16th and 18th of this month, and it is probably fair to say that if either side picks up two wins they'll have made themselves favourites to take the title. It is not yet clear whether the introduction of the 13-team ODI league will also involve a reduction of ODI countries from the current 16, but it is certainly possible that failing to take the WCLC title will mean the Netherlands' hopes of reclaiming the status they lost in New Zealand three years ago will be put on hold for at least another cycle.

Another, little-noted conclusion that could be drawn from Richardson's remarks is that the 2023 World Cup is also envisaged as a 10-team event, with eight teams progressing from the proposed league and two from the qualifying tournament. The news only lends greater importance to the ongoing WCL Championship, a first-place finish at least affording the winner two opportunities to qualify for disappointingly exclusive tournament.

For the shortest format, the news out of Dubai raises more questions than it answers. The release was entirely silent on the biggest open question in international T20 cricket; namely whether there will be a World T20 in 2018. Despite rumours emerging from the ICC's meeting in Edinburgh last year of potential backtracking on the decision to move the tournament onto a four-year cycle, it would seem that nothing has yet been decided.

Nearly as mystifying is what precisely might be meant by the "regional qualifying structure" for the WT20. If it is the intention to introduce a comprehensive qualifying structure including the full members then the move might be seen as positive for cricket generally, though in all likelihood it would disadvantage the Dutch - depending on how many qualifying spots are allotted to Europe.
Equally possible, however, is that the new regional structure would simply mean the abolition of the current global qualifying event, with top Associates dropped back into existing regional competitions from which they might qualify directly to for the WT20 - similarly to what happened at under 19 level. Such a development is potentially disastrous for the Netherlands.

Assuming a WT20 of no more than 16 teams, four of the ICC's five regions would have to make do with a single qualifying spot - the extra berth undoubtedly awarded to Asia. This would be excellent news for, say, Papua New Guinea or the United States, but less so for the Dutch, who would find themselves competing with Scotland and Ireland for a single berth.

Of the financial and constitutional reforms under consideration, there is little that will affect the Dutch directly, or at least it is not clear how they may be affected. The award of equal voting rights to the three Associate members on the ICC Board - currently Ireland, Namibia and Singapore - is a step in the right direction, but the immediate impact is likely to be limited. Likewise the financial wrangling over ICC revenues mostly concerns the division of the Full Members' share, with little mention of any change to the reduced Associate allocation.

Likewise the mooted abolition of Affiliate Member status and the establishment of a Membership Committee to enforce membership criteria - which pessimists have suggested may presage a significant cull of the ICC's membership - is of no particular concern to the Netherlands.

Broadly speaking then, the structural reforms to international cricket do the Dutch few favours, making an already competitive Associates field still more cut-throat. Whilst the rewards on offer for the top three associates have been expanded somewhat, the dangers of falling outside that group are stark indeed.