Is it justified to give the minnows a chance to play in the highly competitive T20 World Cup

Minnows are the unwitting martyrs of cricket. The punching bags, or the team against which one can do warm up practice; more often than not minnows have been a deterrent in World Cup. Hence, the debate whether the minnow should get to play in a 50 over World Cup is justifiable.
However, there is no doubt in allowing minnows to play in the T20 World Cup. Firstly, let’s classify which teams can be called minnows. Bangladesh can be no longer be called a minnow as they are playing some consistent cricket over the years. Ireland is one of the few teams who have managed to surprise the big guns quite often. So it’s the teams like Kenya, Zimbabwe, Netherlands, Afghanistan, Scotland, Bermuda, Canada and now Nepal which are considered as the whipping boys.

In 2007, Ireland’s captain Trent Johnston explained why he felt that the minnows needed some form of representation at the highest levels. The fact that they are there is itself recognition, a form of recognition essential if they are to advance in cricket. The reason why minnows should play T20 cricket is that it is their best chance of creating an upset, of making a mark on the big stage, of getting recognition. A format where the match can totally change in 1 delivery, where you just require 1 person to turn the game over its head; it’s the best format for the minnows to make an impact. Plus, by having some of the lesser cricket nations involved, it’s simply more interesting because it’s not just about the usual suspects. It adds the element of the unknown, and keeps the Test nations on their toes! The minnows likely wouldn’t be minnows if they played the bigger teams on a more regular basis. Bangladesh is a striking example, as playing continuous, competitive cricket has made them improve by leaps and bounds. Sri Lanka was considered minnows once upon a time. Now they are world beaters.

One of the reasons floating around for not letting the minnows play World Cup is that it would cause some meaningless matches and the the tournament might get boring. But since the format is small, this wouldn’t be a hindrance. Because if that is the reason, then not allowing minnows to play the 50 over format makes more sense. T20 World Cup will be a huge moment of inspiration for such small teams and will be a great boost for cricket in the respective countries.
Cricket is a massive sport, but its popularity is restricted to certain pockets in the world. For many people outside these areas, the game is like a foreign language – very difficult to understand. So shouldn’t organizers be trying to encourage cricket’s global growth rather than discourage it? It is called the "World" Cup, after all! Cricket, these days, has only around 6-7 top teams. For such a global sport, so less teams competing is really poor. Hence, to widen the reach of cricket and get more countries to regularly play the game, it is essential to develop interest about the game. The T20 World Cup will be that platform.

So, the minnows should definitely be allowed to play the T20 World Cup, and the ICC should incorporate its current plan of keeping a qualifying tournament for the minnows, which would ensure the best teams among the minnows qualify.