Irish make their best ICC case on the pitch

CRICKET WORLD CUP: EMMET RIORDANon how results like Wednesday's historic win over England can help Ireland achieve their goal of a Future Tours Programme place

AROUND THIS part of the world mosquitoes can prove a right menace.

Just when you reckon you’ve sent them to their maker with a swipe of the Deccan Herald they come back to bite your bum.

For the International Cricket Council (ICC), Ireland has proved the team that keeps buzzing around their ear as the game’s governing body try to put their plan to limit the amount of associate nations competing in the World Cup from 2015 in to place.

Ireland’s incredible record-breaking run chase against England in last Wednesday’s three-wicket victory in Bangalore was not really part of the script and may just have forced the ICC to reveal their hand somewhat on how exactly they intend to decide on the 10 teams to play in Australia in four years’ time.

Yesterday’s two games, which saw Bangladesh implode against the West Indies in Dhaka, losing by nine wickets after scoring just 58, the lowest total by a full member country in a World Cup, and Zimbabwe’s 10-wicket defeat to New Zealand are two results that keep the debate stirred up.

In an attempt to provide clarity on the matter, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said yesterday the governing body will meet in May to decide the format for the next World Cup and what qualification process will be involved.

The key decision will revolve around where the cut-off comes, with the decision being based on the ICC’s one-day international rankings.

Ireland are presently in 10th spot on the list, jumping ahead of Zimbabwe after their heroics against England.

“Somewhere we have to make the cut-off. Who knows what that would be yet – eight or nine or seven?” said Lorgat.

“The cut-off means that teams ranked higher than the cut-off directly get into the World Cup. Whoever is left out, goes into a qualifier.

“That’s where the Associates get the opportunity. They have obviously been disappointed (by the 10-team World Cup) because the more teams you make, the more teams can play (in a World Cup), but that’s not top competition.

“You are always going to get a diverse view in terms of what is opportunity and what is competition, because you can’t have both. If you provide opportunity, you’re going to get some teams who are less competitive, because you have grown the field.”

The point Lorgat is missing is what happens to the teams that have taken their opportunities, like Ireland, who have continually ticked the boxes in their development over recent years?

Ireland’s success at the 2007 World Cup came with just four full-time players, all contracted to county sides. They still enjoyed huge success, tying with Zimbabwe and beating Pakistan to qualify for the Super Eights stage before claiming another full member scalp in Bangladesh.

In the aftermath of the tournament all was not sweetness and light as Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom recounted this week.

“We didn’t have any professionally contracted players, we couldn’t afford to pay players and they went on strike by not talking to the media in 2007 after a game against the Netherlands.

“What we said to the players was not only can we not afford to pay you your World Cup fees yet, but also we can’t afford to pay you any match fees for the rest of the year.

“From that point, we’re now investing something like half a million euros in the players’ remuneration programme,” said Deutrom.

The problem for Ireland has been in putting together a meaningful fixture list of One -Day Internationals against the full member countries, having played just 12 between World Cups, five of those against Bangladesh.

The players are crying out for opportunities to play against the best, but have had to settle for games like last summer’s sell-out game against Australia at Castle Avenue, a clash that also allowed Cricket Ireland generate revenue from an Irish cricket public that will turn out in their numbers to see the big sides.

As things stand, Ireland have only one home ODI lined up for this summer, with England set to try and gain revenge for Wednesday’s defeat when the sides meet in Clontarf on August 25th.

Ireland’s entry into the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), which would allow for a fixed schedule of ODIs and with it an ability for Cricket Ireland to develop revenue streams through the likes of television deals has been high on the list of Deutrom’s agenda in his time in charge.

The ICC confirmed yesterday that talks on a new ODI league, to be played over three years leading up to the World Cup, will also take place at the meeting in May.

Deutrom wants them to fully consider a second-tier competition that will allow for promotion to the top flight in the future.

“What we’re hoping as Associates is that a second division would be created and when that first Full Member ODI league finishes in 2014, that there will be promotion and relegation and that’s something the ICC board has under consideration.

“If that was to take place and we were good enough to get into it, then we’re on the FTP,” he said.

The future structure of Irish international cricket will be decided in the coming months in the boardrooms of the ICC, but the players and administrators know that the place they can make the most noise in putting forward their case in on the pitch .

Tomorrow’s game against India is a 40,000 sell-out, with incredible interest being generated by Ireland’s performances in the competition after the victory over England.

And if you were to pick out one player that epitomises the new professional outlook amongst the squad it would be all-rounder John Mooney, who took four wickets before hitting the winning runs in a vital knock of 33 not out that got Ireland over the line following Kevin O’Brien’s swashbuckling century.

The 29-year-old former electrician has flourished since taking up a professional contract with Cricket Ireland and he pointed out yesterday just what it has meant to his game.

“I think I’ve made a massive improvement, I think I’ve improved my game 100 per cent, to be honest with you,” said the North County player.

“It’s an awful lot easier getting up in the morning and going to the gym and then hitting cricket balls in the afternoon than getting up in the morning and pulling cables in and out of houses for the day and trying to train in the evening.”

Mooney and Irish cricket has moved in leaps and bounds in recent years; the next few months will see what boundaries they have to aim at as they look to push on.