There have to be 16. Even though 2 of them are, in cricketing terms, nothing more than parts of an already-cricket-playing country (ie Ireland and Scotland are part of the team known as "England" but reprisenting in reality "The British Isles").
I think if you were an irishman you might feel differently. You as an englishman have the opportunity to play for your country, what if the roles were reversed? What if the only way of playing internation cricket was for you to play for ireland? (because england didnt have a team). Im sure youd be screaming out for an english side in those circumstances. Theres nothing like playing for your country and just because you can play for yours doesnt mean you should deprive another of playing for theirs.
It just means they have no choice, if they want to play professionally you have to play for england. I guarantee you if the opportunity for ed joyce and those who came before came along for them to play test cricket for ireland they would jump at it. Its not like the irish have a fondness for us is it?
Err, they're players specifically qualified to another cricket-playing country. They play as overseas-players, at the same time as playing domestic cricket in their own country.
It may be, or it may be not at all. The evidence that globalisation of cricket can happen again as it did in the 1920s and 1930s is not overwhelming.
Err, isn't it? You've never met a friendly Irishman? Isn't that rather a bigoted comment?
If they wanted to play as "North America" there's no reason they shouldn't. Are USA and Canada any more separate than Jamaica and Barbados?
Why change something that has been the case for a century and more? Everyone is perfectly happy with Ireland being a part of the British Isles cricket team, even if that team is known as "England".
I never said that, You are obviously buried in your cricket history rather than watching the news or reading a history book. It is obvious that the irish arnt exactly the happiest with the english. Theres a lot of history there. Im not saying theyre all bombers or something, im simply saying that theres a lot of tension there. Ive met plenty of friendly irishman...theyl still give you a good talking to about the potatoes tho...
That wasnt my point, i meant americans playing AS canadians, not a combined team, just like ireland have to. Windies play as a combined team. I asure you if the side was called Jamaica instead of west indies thered be uproar!
Because we are trying to move forward. THe irish public just arnt going to support a forein team just because 1 irishman who has effectively deserted is playing for them. That will never change the way it is. The game might get some press if an irish team is playing all the time though.... Hence progress
Ah no they can't because the ICC states that they have to be a nation and can not be a combined team. west indies is an exception. and I dont really like how you write ICC because they aren't really about the money. because they dont keep the money to them selves but spread it around to all its members.
I've not met a hell of a lot of Irishmen, but none have seemed any different to an Englishman than, say, a Yorkshireman to a Devonian.I never said that, You are obviously buried in your cricket history rather than watching the news or reading a history book. It is obvious that the irish arnt exactly the happiest with the english. Theres a lot of history there. Im not saying theyre all bombers or something, im simply saying that theres a lot of tension there. Ive met plenty of friendly irishman...theyl still give you a good talking to about the potatoes tho...
The team may be called "England" but everyone who isn't utterly ridiculously picky knows who it really reprisents, and that's "The British Isles". Not England, not Great Britain, not The United Kingdom, but The British Isles.
You don't know how much the Irish public support the team called "England". I somehow doubt you read the Stormont Express too often. That team is not foreign - it is their team as much as it's the team of someone from Sussex or Hampshire. Or Glamorgan, for that matter.
No-one states anything of the sort - I$C$C have twisted the rules three times in one calender-year just to suit their immidiate purposes (the nonsense about Asia XIs, World XIs and Africa XIs in three tournaments\one-off games that should never, ever have been classified ODI). Having done that, they have no ground to stand upon to prevent anyone from submitting a team. If USA and Canada want to submit a combined team, they can. I can't exactly see it, mind.
I$C$C aren't really about money, what planet have you been on these last 6 years? Money is clearly just about the only thing that really matters to them, everything else comes a distant second. There have been a million-and-one demonstrations of this, from the nonsense about Zimbabwe to the stupidity of scheduling I$C$C events all the Goddamn time, witness the too-frequent Champions Trophy and the Super Series crap.
I agree, they are all about the money...
