The ICC chief executive’s committee has recommended that the 2010-11 World Cup in Asia is reduced from 16 to 14 teams and is cut down from 47 to 38 days.

If approved by the ICC Board during their meeting on March 18, the plans mean the next World Cup will be nine days shorter than the Caribbean event which was slammed by players, spectators and the media for being unwieldy in size and length.

The suggested new format involves two groups of seven teams with the top four from each group progressing to a knock-out phase that includes quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final. In the 2007 World Cup there were four groups of four followed by the Super Eights.

A large number of the Super Eight matches were one-sided because Ireland and Bangladesh progressed from their groups and the new group format should ensure less chance of an early upset – such as Ireland beating Pakistan – from having a major impact on the tournament.

The reduction to 14 teams means that two of the Associate slots will be lost, which won’t go down well with those countries below the top level.

The committee also unanimously approved a proposal prepared by ICC management on the greater use of technology in decision-making. This proposal, which was drawn up following directions from the ICC Cricket Committee, suggests the trialing of an “umpire decision review system” during a Test series.