CRICKET: WORLD CUP-winning coach with India, Gary Kirsten has said countries such as Ireland should be given automatic entry into future 50-over World Cup competitions.

Those countries outside the top 10 in cricket, known as associate members, should also be encouraged to compete as they offered some variety to the regular Test nations, the former South African batsman added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) initially restricted the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand to the 10 Test-playing member nations but then backtracked and proposed a qualifying tournament for the smaller nations such as Ireland, who beat England in this year’s World Cup in April and defeated Pakistan in the 2007 competition.

“That’s what World Cups are about,” said Kirsten on the issue of including non-Test playing nations. “We play enough series against the great teams out there. World Cups are about an indication and illustration of how we are spreading the game to all corners of the globe, which is one of the mission statements, I think, of the ICC. So it is great that these teams are involved in an event like that.”

Kirsten added that other countries outside the top 10 should look at how Ireland have improved and been able to raise their level on the world stage.

“Someone like Ireland, as we know, is probably the talking point, they have had tremendous success in the limited professional structures they have in place and they could really, for me, be an example to other associate countries that this is how you do it.”

Kirsten also gave his backing to cricket’s controversial Decision Review System (DRS) and said it had improved the game, although his former employers, the Indian cricket board (BCCI), were not in favour.

The DRS system allows teams to question two umpiring decisions per innings and a third umpire uses the available technology, including Hawk-eye, to determine if the on field officials were correct.

“Personally, I am in favour of it,” said Kirsten. “It has increased the consistency of umpiring, so I am a fan of it, but I know there are some negative views of it within India.”

The ICC say the DRS had improved correct decisions by seven per cent. One of the issues discussed at an ICC meeting in April was a reduction in the number of appeals to just one per inning to prevent teams using the DRS break as a strategic tool.