Roddy Smith, the chief executive of Cricket Scotland, has welcomed the news that the ICC is to reconsider its controversial decision to cut the number of teams in the next World Cup to just 10 and deny countries such as Scotland and Ireland the chance to qualify.

The ICC president, Sharad Pawar, said on Tuesday: "I have given this matter serious thought and will request the [ICC's] executive board to consider the topic once more [at their annual conference in Hong Kong in June].

"I can understand the views of the Associates and Affiliates and the ICC will seek to deal with this issue in the best way possible."

Smith said he was relieved at this news, which should offer the emerging nations an opportunity to participate in the sport's' showpiece competition four years hence.

"Cricket Scotland welcomes the decision by Mr Pawar to review the [original] decision - it is the right thing to do to ensure that the principles of meritocracy are adhered to and that the best teams in the world take part in the World Cup," declared Smith.

"We will work with the leading associates and affiliates and the ICC to to seek a qualification process for 2015, irrespective of the format of the event.

"Cricket Scotland are still in place as the hosts for the qualifying event in 2013." 

There is still the possibility that the likes of India, Australia and New Zealand will stick with their policy of turning the World Cup into a closed shop, but they have been besieged with criticism in the last few weeks.

The most likely outcome is that the best eight in the ICC rankings in 2013 will qualify automatically, with the bottom two [most probably Bangladesh and Zimbabwe] having to battle against the likes of Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Kenya for the other two spots.

That would be the fairest resolution.