Ireland and Test Cricket and Full Member status

[Immenso]

So, Ireland have gone almost 3 years without a playing or hosting a test match. And have cancelled their scheduled home tests for their upcoming home season.

They were granted full member status back in 2017. With this status they become a test status team and get substantially more central ICC funding than the associate nations they were formally a part of.

Scheduled to get $50-55m USD from ICC over 8 years.
As opposed to sharing 160m USD to 93 Associates *

From: https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/revealed-the-icc-s-new-financial-model-1081598

Should Ireland be returned to associate status, and increase the associate pot of money by that 50 to 55m?
Why are Ireland effectively stealing ICC central funding from Scotland, Namibia and Netherlands etc and then not even playing tests?

Now, I want them to stay full members and retain test status. Maybe there is a way to do this to be discussed. The ICC test match fund etc.

But at the moment ... is the model being abused?


* https://emergingcricket.com/insight/icc-global-funding-model-explainer/#:~:text=Over eight years the breakdown,Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies

 

[Immenso]

Taken from:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/962007153169985536

 

[Chubb]

I generally support Ireland being a full member side, but it is disappointing that a wealthy western nation cannot find sufficient $$ to host at least one test match. They were supposed to tour Zim next month but doesn't look like that is going ahead either.

One thing I do dislike about them is their attitude towards Zimbabwe, as if it's fair to compare a sub-Saharan African country incompetently ruled by a collection of strongmen and kleptocrats with a wealthy, stable first world democracy. It is not incredible that Ireland compete with them, it's incredible they compete with Ireland. If anything Ireland should be supporting Zimbabwe by touring and hosting them.

 

[Immenso]

I generally support Ireland being a full member side, but it is disappointing that a wealthy western nation cannot find sufficient $$ to host at least one test match. They were supposed to tour Zim next month but doesn't look like that is going ahead either.

Ya know. I'd actually be satisfied if they even just scheduled and played 2 test matches per year for their first decade as a full member. Host a mixed white ball and single test tour per year, and go on tour doing the same. Seeing as not in WTC anyway.

If they were doing this combined with the investment in the Ireland 'A' team playing and hosting mixed red/white ball tours, plus the costs of making their domestic competition first class.

Can spend the rest of their time doing white ball, as they are now, and I won't raise my eyebrows at the pick-the-winner the ICC have done for them over say Nepal or Netherlands or Scotland.

Ireland 'A' are in fact in Namibia at the moment. But looks like white ball only.

IRE-A in NAM 2021/22 Schedule | Ireland A tour of Namibia Fixtures & Results

Get 2021/22 IRE-A in NAM schedule, fixtures, scorecard updates, and results on ESPNcricinfo. Track latest match scores, schedule, and results of Ireland A tour of Namibia 2021/22.

www.espncricinfo.com

They had a mixed red/white ball tour of Bangladesh this time last year (only a single FC game).

 

[Immenso]

Now.... I know ... there is the covid complication of the last 2 years.

And there is the (partly related) squashed in scheduling of 2 T20WCs and ODI WC in a 2 year period that they want to qualify for and/pre prepare for.

So ... I know there is compeition for how they spend their money and time.

I really think the ICC Test Match Fund is required, and some of the direct distributions should be reduced (not just to Ireland).

This was how that fund worked under the defunct Big 3 model. The other 7 (non-big3) test nations at the time got $10m each, but was tied to costs of hosting test matches.

 

[cnerd123]

Ireland haven't even held local FC cricket recently, which is also a requirement of being a full member nation

 

[Migara]

I generally support Ireland being a full member side, but it is disappointing that a wealthy western nation cannot find sufficient $$ to host at least one test match. They were supposed to tour Zim next month but doesn't look like that is going ahead either.

One thing I do dislike about them is their attitude towards Zimbabwe, as if it's fair to compare a sub-Saharan African country incompetently ruled by a collection of strongmen and kleptocrats with a wealthy, stable first world democracy. It is not incredible that Ireland compete with them, it's incredible they compete with Ireland. If anything Ireland should be supporting Zimbabwe by touring and hosting them.

They haven't toured Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or West Indies, where the calendar is relatively free. Yes, it is incredible they only want to compete with big three.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Ireland haven't even held local FC cricket recently, which is also a requirement of being a full member nation

While I agree this is dire, when both the West Indies and especially India suspended their FC competitions then it seems a bit unfair to single out Ireland for that

 

[cnerd123]

While I agree this is dire, when both the West Indies and especially India suspended their FC competitions then it seems a bit unfair to single out Ireland for that

Yea but both those nations have already resumed FC cricket. Ireland sticks out.

I suppose Afghanistan haven't had any FC cricket too, but they've had bigger problems...

 

[GoodAreasShane]

Yea but both those nations have already resumed FC cricket. Ireland sticks out.

I suppose Afghanistan haven't had any FC cricket too, but they've had bigger problems...

Doesn't stick out as much as India sidelining the Ranji Trophy in the first place considering the respective resources of the two boards, well not to me at least

 

[cnerd123]

Doesn't stick out as much as India sidelining the Ranji Trophy in the first place considering the respective resources of the two boards, well not to me at least

India's issue wasn't ever lack of resources, COVID was just so unmanageable at the time. They moved the IPL to the UAE half way. If they couldn't run the IPL safely in India then they were never going to able to run a tournament as large as the Ranji Trophy. 38 teams!

 

[honestbharani]

And the lockdown restrictions were very heavy in India compared to elsewhere. Remember how in 2020 none of the players could even leave their homes. The ban on sporting events was on for the longest time during Wave 2 and was only removed around Oct or so.

All that said, they still did prioritize IPL for the money and the T20 and OD competitions coz they are easier to run and manage in a bubble from a logistics perspective given the number of teams involved.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

If that is the case fair enough then, must admit I spent most of 2020 trying to avoid Covid news just because it was all so damn depressing.

But in a more general sense, Cricket (or any sport for that matter) administrators using covid as an excuse to cut from areas that they always wanted to cut from is definitely a major thing that does happen, which is grim tstl

 

[honestbharani]

If that is the case fair enough then, must admit I spent most of 2020 trying to avoid Covid news just because it was all so damn depressing.

But in a more general sense, Cricket (or any sport for that matter) administrators using covid as an excuse to cut from areas that they always wanted to cut from is definitely a major thing that does happen, which is grim tstl

I wish I could say this was not true but....

 

[tony p]

The problem Ireland had was when they got Test status, their best players were on the downward spiral, and they don't have the depth to cover.
Joyce & Porterfield were right at the end, Niall O'Brien was as well.
Boyd Rankin & Tim Murtagh were both the wrong side of 30.

Plus I think Irish players were also deemed Overseas players not long after, which means they couldn't play CC as locals.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Ya know. I'd actually be satisfied if they even just scheduled and played 2 test matches per year for their first decade as a full member. Host a mixed white ball and single test tour per year, and go on tour doing the same. Seeing as not in WTC anyway.

If they were doing this combined with the investment in the Ireland 'A' team playing and hosting mixed red/white ball tours, plus the costs of making their domestic competition first class.

Can spend the rest of their time doing white ball, as they are now, and I won't raise my eyebrows at the pick-the-winner the ICC have done for them over say Nepal or Netherlands or Scotland.

Ireland 'A' are in fact in Namibia at the moment. But looks like white ball only.

IRE-A in NAM 2021/22 Schedule | Ireland A tour of Namibia Fixtures & Results

Get 2021/22 IRE-A in NAM schedule, fixtures, scorecard updates, and results on ESPNcricinfo. Track latest match scores, schedule, and results of Ireland A tour of Namibia 2021/22.

www.espncricinfo.com

They had a mixed red/white ball tour of Bangladesh this time last year (only a single FC game).

Campher playing Ireland A lmao
This is another weird thing they do, they play a lot of A cricket with practically the first team, but it's not ODIs so it doesn't count for rankings etc. Think the worst example of this was when they played Netherlands last May.

 

[WICFan]

Campher playing Ireland A lmao
This is another weird thing they do, they play a lot of A cricket with practically the first team, but it's not ODIs so it doesn't count for rankings etc. Think the worst example of this was when they played Netherlands last May.

Campher got called up at the last minute due to three of the squad getting covid.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Campher got called up at the last minute due to three of the squad getting covid.

fair enough but it's still ringing up their best allrounder as "injury replacement" (but I guess he might still be based in SA half the year and then the trip to Namibia isn't that tough.)

and yeah this one isn't as egregious as the Netherlands example

 

[jayjay]

How much is this their own fault though?

England should be trying to help their neighbour but they don't and Ireland just don't get an opportunity to tour.

 

[srbhkshk]

I generally support Ireland being a full member side, but it is disappointing that a wealthy western nation cannot find sufficient $$ to host at least one test match. They were supposed to tour Zim next month but doesn't look like that is going ahead either.

One thing I do dislike about them is their attitude towards Zimbabwe, as if it's fair to compare a sub-Saharan African country incompetently ruled by a collection of strongmen and kleptocrats with a wealthy, stable first world democracy. It is not incredible that Ireland compete with them, it's incredible they compete with Ireland. If anything Ireland should be supporting Zimbabwe by touring and hosting them.

I don't know about that, eventually the money and players have to come from the fans / interested populace and the Irish as far as I have heard have almost zero interest in cricket apart from some very small pockets here and there.