Ireland For Test Status?

[Uppercut]

Although I suspect he'd rather have died than admit it, Gen Collins was a British subject for most of his brief life.

Indeed. It's a really common trolling suggestion on Republican message boards.

Not many people who actually live in Ireland do it though. They're not really the people to mess with, even on the interwebz.

 

[Flem274*]

I see no reason why Ireland shouldn't be treated as a seperate country Richard. My main reason for this is that they are seperate countries.

If Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are allowed test status, then Ireland should be (provided Morgan and Joyce are granted exceptions and allowed to play for Ireland immediately).

I do think they should play more ODIs than they do against top countries.

 

[Richard]

I see no reason why Ireland shouldn't be treated as a seperate country Richard. My main reason for this is that they are seperate countries.

Ireland cannot be treated as a separate country, because Ireland is not one country - it is two. One part (NI) is part of the UK; the other (ROI) is independent.

The most sensible thing to do would be to treat the countries of the UK and ROI as one cricket entity, as they were until very recently. Instead one-fourth of the UK is split into a separate entity (Scotland), another one-fourth is added to an independent country (NI to ROI) and the remaining two are treated as one entity. The only reason this is the case is because of the fact that one county from one of those one-fourths plays in a competition with lots of counties from the remaining one-fourth.

The current definitions that ICC put on the UK and ROI are plain and simply ridiculous. I've said it hundreds of times - if East Stirlingshire and some ROI county (or even a team called "Ireland") had played in the Championship before 1997 then none of this nonsense would have happened - the board formed in 1997 would've been the England, Wales, Scotland and Irish Cricket Board (or something along those lines) and the team would've featured the best players from all four parts of the UK and the ROI.

Instead we have a mess.

 

[Hurricane]

If Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are allowed test status, then Ireland should be (provided Morgan and Joyce are granted exceptions and allowed to play for Ireland immediately).
.

I don't see those two countries as being the benchmark. The are the reasons why people are talking about two tiers of test cricket. If Bangladesh doesn't improve I could see them losing their test status in about 5 years from now. I have heard cricketers saying that the experiment hasn't worked.

If people think that Ireland has seriously performed they should get some exhibition games against some A sides to see if they can hold their own. And then eventually give them some trial matches against some top teams. If they can draw a couple of games against the likes of the West Indies and New Zealand (with our awesome opening batsmen) then that says they are ready.

I think it is lame that the 2nd highest score in an innings is Mathew Hayden's score against Zimbabwe it devalues the other triple centuries that were scored against tougher opponents. If Bangladesh gives up a score that surpasses Brian Laras 400 I will be pissed off that is an important record.

 

[Richard]

Ind33d. Bangladesh do not deserve Test status, never have, should not have been given it and any decision to retrospectively strip matches involving them of Test status and remove the status from matches involving them in future would be absolutely the right move. Not, obviously, very likely, on either count. Zimbabwe, too, should have been stripped of Test and ODI status after the 2002/03 World Cup.

Using either side as a benchmark simply means making more mistakes purely because you made earlier mistakes. A terrible, terrible way to go about things.

 

[four_or_six]

Bangladesh will get there. I think it's only right to invest some time and effort in them. It is a massive developing country of over 100 million people with cricket being one of the most important sports there. And we're seeing them start to bring through players such as Shakib, Tamim and Mortaza who are getting better with experience. It might be frustrating to some people in the short term, but I think it'll be worth it in the long run.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Bangladesh don't face the same problem as Ireland in that any individual good enough to play Test cricket will play for England and ****** Ireland's developement meaning that they'll never become collectively good enough.

 

[Richard]

Bangladesh will get there. I think it's only right to invest some time and effort in them. It is a massive developing country of over 100 million people with cricket being one of the most important sports there. And we're seeing them start to bring through players such as Shakib, Tamim and Mortaza who are getting better with experience. It might be frustrating to some people in the short term, but I think it'll be worth it in the long run.

Bangladesh may get there - if and when they do, great - but there is no "will" about it.

People've been saying "Bangladesh have new players who will get better, the short-term loss for long-term gain will be worth it" since they were given Test and ODI status. The reality is, every time they appear to have been making steps forward, it hasn't lasted long. As I say - if and when that changes, great, but nothing that's happened of late hasn't happened before.

 

[slugger]

geezz richard you drive a hard bargain. Would a 2 test tier be the way to go, id hate it but i could handle if nz dropped down .. but the real question is could you handle it if england fell below par.

 

[Richard]

geezz richard you drive a hard bargain.

Yes, I happen to have a very high opinion of the ethos of Test (and ODI) cricket and don't believe substandard sides have any place there.

Would a 2 test tier be the way to go

Nope, Test cricket is something that should be a simple have or have not IMO, no halves.

 

[Chemosit]

Yes, I happen to have a very high opinion of the ethos of Test (and ODI) cricket and don't believe substandard sides have any place there.

Nope, Test cricket is something that should be a simple have or have not IMO, no halves.

and what happens when a team is no longer of sufficient standard to deserve it?

 

[Richard]

Then it should be stripped. I've said since 2003 that this should happen with Zimbabwe.

 

[Hogey]

A batting order of William Porterfield, Eoin Morgan, Ed Joyce, Niall O' Brien and Kevin O'Brien is as good as anything New Zealand, Zimbabwe or Bangladesh can come up with.

 

[brockley]

Hogey i think thats the point that will be the english line up soon bar strauss and peiterson.

 

[Scaly piscine]

A batting order of William Porterfield, Eoin Morgan, Ed Joyce, Niall O' Brien and Kevin O'Brien is as good as anything New Zealand, Zimbabwe or Bangladesh can come up with.

Wouldn't say there were better than NZ.

Porterfield would be a bit parter for a top 8 side, at best. Probably be given a few games then discarded for a team like NZ.

Morgan and Joyce are probably international quality, but decent rather than brilliant.

Niall O'Brien is rather over-rated I feel based on that innings against Pakistan. He's a decent keeper-batsman but there's easily 2-3 ahead of him in County Cricket.

Kevin O'Brien hasn't shown any real quality, sub-standard bits and pieces player who can slog a bit and bowl a bit.

 

[Richard]

Hogey i think thats the point that will be the english line up soon bar strauss and peiterson.

There is no way on Earth Kevin O'Brien will ever play for England barring a Pattinson-esque call (the sort that usually happens once every 50-odd years or so) and it's exceedingly unlikely Will Porterfield will either. Niall O'Brien I don't think even wants to and even if he did would still be relatively unlikely (although certainly England could do worse), and Joyce appears already to have been deemed too old.

Only Morgan in that lot is likely to play Tests for England.

 

[Migara]

A batting order of William Porterfield, Eoin Morgan, Ed Joyce, Niall O' Brien and Kevin O'Brien is as good as anything New Zealand, Zimbabwe or Bangladesh can come up with.

But all those cannot offer what Vettori offers with the bat. Add Ross Taylor as well. for Bangladesh Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal are comparable players. If Shariar Nafees, Rajin Saleh and Alok Kapali manages to find their feet, that will be a quality line up. Ireland cannot produce something close to what Zim produced in late 1990s.

 

[Flem274*]

A batting order of William Porterfield, Eoin Morgan, Ed Joyce, Niall O' Brien and Kevin O'Brien is as good as anything New Zealand, Zimbabwe or Bangladesh can come up with.

Oh yay, we're compared to Zimbabwe and Bangladesh now.

When Scaly thinks we;re better than someone, we must be better.

When Ireland have a Ross Taylor or Jesse Ryder we'll talk.

FWIW I think Ireland will likely gain test status one day and hopefuly they will have Joyce and Morgan released back to them.

 

[Prince EWS]

Oh yay, we're compared to Zimbabwe and Bangladesh now.

When Scaly thinks we;re better than someone, we must be better.

When Ireland have a Ross Taylor or Jesse Ryder we'll talk.

FWIW I think Ireland will likely gain test status one day and hopefuly they will have Joyce and Morgan released back to them.

Reckon Joyce is better than Taylor just quietly. *ducks for cover from angry Ross Taylor fans*

Ryder's a class above anything Ireland have ever produced though.

 

[Athlai]

Reckon Joyce is better than Taylor just quietly. *ducks for cover from angry Ross Taylor fans*

Ryder's a class above anything Ireland have ever produced though.