Players and fans are united when it comes to the 50-over game.Both say there is too much of it.
There are myriad matches played all around the globe that hold little interest, even to the more ardent fans.
But one area where everyone is in harmony is the World Cup.It is the showcase of the 50-over game - the one every team wants to win.
The next edition of the event is to be played on the sub-continent from February 19.
It was to be staged in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan however the latter was removed as a host by the ICC following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March 2009.
In light of the latest allegations brought by Pakistani wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider perhaps it is time that the ICC does more than just remove Pakistan as an international host.
Since he fled the UAE earlier in the week, during the series between Pakistan and South Africa, Haider has gone public with a series of allegations that bode no good at all for a sport that has been mired in a sea of corruption in recent years.
Upon arriving in London from Dubai he said he had fled after receiving death threats following his match winning innings in the fourth one-dayer.
Those that issued the threats had told him to fall in line with their wishes prior to the final one-day match of the series or he and his family would risk profound retribution.
Whilst he said he did not know the identity of the man who approached him, he said his words were blunt and to the point, quoting him as saying, "If you work with us, we will give you a lot of money. If [not and] you back home, we will kill you and your family."
That approach led to the 24-year-old's clandestine trip to Britain where he is now seeking asylum.
Since leaving the Pakistan team he has also commented on threats he had received while playing at domestic level in Pakistan.
He has told Geo, a leading Pakistani news channel, that he had been lent on to select certain players in the domestic team he captained.
His comments are in reference to a match in 2008-09 between Haider's Lahore Bank and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in the domestic one-day series.
NBP was captained at the time by former Pakistan captain Salman Butt who is currently under suspension for his alleged role in the spot-fixing row when Pakistan recently toured England.
Butt's team needed to win in comprehensive fashion so as to boost its net run rate in order to qualify for the semi-finals.
Haider says he was approached to select a young fast bowler for his debut but he refused to acquiesce.
He was removed from the captaincy and the bowler in question, Usman Sarwar, was selected nonetheless.
Lahore was dismissed in the 41st over for 122 with Haider dismissed for a second-ball duck.
In reply, NBP rattled off the winning runs in a staggering 6.1 overs without losing a wicket - a run rate of 20 per over!
Sarwar's three overs produced figures of 0-78, a run rate 4.3 per delivery.
The match remains his only one for the Lahore side.
Not surprisingly, given the bizarre nature of the match, questions were raised in media circles about the legitimacy of the outcome.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it could find nothing untoward.
One can only imagine what sort of reaction such a match would produce in the likes of Australia and England.
On face value, Haider appears to be a balanced individual and his claims should have alarm bells ringing at ICC headquarters.
The stain on Pakistan cricket at present seems indelible.
Perhaps it is time that not only its hosting rights but also its right to participation at an international level should be withdrawn by the ICC.
If the World Cup is indeed the jewel in the crown of one-day international cricket, one has to question whether Pakistan's participation in it is acceptable given the raft of allegations and suspicions that currently besmirch its reputation.
Incidents such as those highlighted by Haider and the recent farce at Lord's surely indicate that Pakistan's presence at the World Cup has the potential to distort the outcome of the tournament.
While the likes of PCB chairman Ijaz Butt continue to impersonate an ostrich Pakistan's place in international cricket is highly questionable
