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Ireland Call for Test Status

Fri, 24/04/2009 - 11:48 — maehara

Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom has called for the ICC to lay out what would be required for Ireland to be promoted to full Test status, pointing out that Ireland's achievements in one-day and first-class cricket match or exceed what Zimbabwe and Bangladesh had achieved when they were promoted, and that Ireland have been ranked above Zimbabwe in ODI cricket for most of the past two years. He has also called for the opportunity for his side to prove themselves in a Test match against either Bangaldesh or Zimbabwe:

"We need to be assured that we are actually able to fulfil the minimum requirements and to at least stay on the [ODI rankings] table. We haven't got that at the moment but it has to be given. Ireland should then be given at least the opportunity to play a test match against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, or whoever is going to be ranked nine or ten in the world in 2010."

Zimbabwe currently has a higher Test ranking than Bangladesh, although doesn't appear on the Test ranking table due to their current suspension from Test cricket. For Ireland, the main reason behind seeking Test status seems to be to stop the flow of players to England - Ireland lost Ed Joyce to England in 2005, and current start batsman Eoin Morgan looks set to join him after being named in England's preliminary squad for the World Twenty20. Being able to promise their stars Test cricket would, it's hoped, remove the incentive for players to switch colours.
Reuters - Cricket Ireland want chance to play test cricket

Comments

Fri, 24/04/2009 - 12:45 — brmtaylor.com admin

Re: Ireland Call for Test Status

I don't think you will like what I have to say maehara :(

In the article it said "Ireland is now in the same position Zimbabwe and Bangladesh were when they were elevated to test status"... I can't speak for Bangladesh, but really? Have Ireland beaten Australia? The best opposition they have beaten I think is Pakistan? And that was at the 2007 World Cup - as we know there were some mysterious things happening within the Pakistan team, I'm not sure if we will ever find out the truth about what happened.

Similiarly, in ODI history Ireland only tied with Zimbabwe (in that same World Cup, which with the exception of Australia won't go down in history as a tournament where the teams were at the top of their game). And of course, the last time the teams met which was late last year Zimbabwe hammered Ireland.

Rhodesia never got Test status (they probably would have put together a competitive team, probably one that would beat Bangladesh, Ireland and modern-day Zimbabwe). Even post-independence Zimbabwe had to wait about 9 years after "proving themselves" to get Test status. How long have Ireland been proving their worth for? Probably about 3 years if you take Intercontinental Cup form into account. Even Kenya has been putting in good performances for over a decade - between 1996 and 2003 they probably had a very good case for Test status - hell, Tikolo still has a First Class average above 50. Probably the best (associate) player never to play a Test is Tikolo.

Although I understand where they are coming from with regards to retaining players, I don't think it is fair that they gain Test status at this stage. They may be the best associate now, but it still looks like there is a large gap between them and the full members. Also, the ICC are going to be very careful about full membership, they have copped a lot of criticism over Bangladesh's status. Bangladesh has been a problem for them because it has taken them so long to develop - 9 years later and they still haven't really proven themselves in Test matches. Granted, there has been some improvement since their stars Ashraful (no matter what anyone says, he has 5 Test centuries - and he has put in good performances against full strength Australian teams), Mashrafe and Shakib have become more mature. At home Bangladesh could cause an upset, I wouldn't be surprised if they won a game or two in the next season or so.

In summary, if Kenya weren't considered for Test status after making the World Cup semi-finals, then how can Ireland possibly be considered now - without a win against a full member in nearly 2 years?

Fri, 24/04/2009 - 13:12 — maehara

Not ready yet :)

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Ireland deserve Test status now, and I doubt that Deutrom believes that either. But if you look back to the years before Zimbabwe were promoted, there were several years where Zim had a steady stream of matches against Full Member 'A' sides, and unofficial tests against full Full Member teams - that's what Cricket Ireland are looking to get from the ICC now. Deutrom has said in the past that he wanted Test status "within ten years" - he has about 8 left to stick to that timescale, and I think it's doable within that time, although not much sooner.

Problem is that the ICC are wary of creating new Full Members now, as Zim and Bangladesh have been seen to underperform at that level, and there may not be an inclination or the will to give Ireland a fair run at getting promoted, even though there's clearly the desire here for it.

Besides, Ireland are Associate ODI champions, Associate T20 champions, and Associate 4-day champions - with no sign that the other Associates con consistently beat them. The only way for them to improve and be challenged now is to regularly play the big boys, and that means more than just the ODI they're kindly gifted by sides visiting England...