The pressure continues to mount on cricket's governing body following the ICC's decision to reduce the next World Cup to 10 teams - and none other than Sachin Tendulkar has added his massive influence to the argument.

The Indian legend, who retired after playing his 200th Test match last year, said the stronger teams should play against the top Associate sides as much as possible, not just at World Cups.

"To play against them every four years (is not enough) and I think we need to look into it and look to encourage them more by making them play international games against top sides," Tendulkar said during the ICC's first ever Google Hangout.

"When you want the game to globalise, we need to encourage more and more teams to participate, obviously not at the cost of dropping the standard of play but we need to look at how we can get these guys to raise their standard of playing and I think the standard of playing is only going to rise when they start playing against the top sides.

"For that sake, I feel even if the top sides send their A-teams, India A could tour Zimbabwe, Bangladesh or Ireland and Scotland. All these teams, they need encouragement."

Specifically referring to Ireland's win against West Indies last week, Tendulkar, a global ambassador for the ongoing World Cup, said: "You see it has been a history from many World Cups; they have always come up with surprises."

Mahela Jawardene, who needed to score a century to ensure Sri Lanka scrambled home by four wickets against Afghanistan yesterday, said in his post-match Press conference: "A 10-team World Cup is the wrong way to go. Sri Lanka wouldn't be where they are today without expansion."

And the commentators here in Brisbane, venue for Ireland's second World Cup match against the UAE on Wednesday, are not missing out on promoting the Associates' cause. A headline on a comment piece in the weekend's Brisbane Courier Mail said: 'Everyone deserves a crack at the big boys - even England'.