Cricket World Cup 2015: Porterfield has parting shot at ICC as the Irish head home

Ireland 237 Pakistan 241-3

William Porterfield celebrates taking the catch to win the game for Ireland (Getty Images)

The Ireland captain William Porterfield has once more attacked the International Cricket Council’s decision to cut the number of teams at the next World Cup.

This year’s edition has 14 teams, but that will be reduced to 10 for the next tournament – in England in 2019 – making it likely the associate nations will have to battle it out for two qualifying spots. It has prompted much Irish indignation as they have beaten Test-playing sides West Indies and Zimbabwe at the World Cup and fell just short of reaching the last eight after defeat to Pakistan in Adelaide yesterday.

Pakistan restricted Ireland to 237 with Porterfield making his first World Cup century (107). Pakistan replied methodically, with opener Sarfraz Ahmed (101 not out) leading them to 241 for 3 in 46.1 overs.

"Why don’t 10 teams play cricket and every other country not bother?" Porterfield said.

"I’m sure they’re [the ICC] hoping everything blows over in the next few weeks and they don’t hear from us, then it’s easy to [ignore], but something has to be done if they want to grow the game.

"We have to be playing in these competitions and we’ve shown what we can do. We’re unlucky. We’ve missed out on the quarter-finals on run-rate."