
Share
8th May 2015
03:55pm BST

Rather than these one-off fixtures, where an experimental England side are somewhat begrudgingly fulfilling a promise made to their neighbours to travel to these shores every other year (which in itself is an attempt to hold Ireland back, coming as it did in exchange for Ireland agreeing not to schedule any internationals that would clash with England games), Ireland need to be playing much more regularly against the likes of Australia, India and Pakistan, whether as tourists themselves or as hosts to teams visiting England.
It is entirely understandable that the Irish do not represent the commercial draw that the likes of India and Australia bring to the cricket grounds of England, but if the ECB and ICC are ever to get serious about assisting the growth of Irish cricket and offering a carrot to the associate nations in general, efforts must be made to make Ireland a more regular member of their fixture programme.
Ideally, Ireland could be added to the triangular series that often bookend touring sides’ trips to England, but perhaps more realistic would be the insistence that every country play a game in Ireland as part of their tour schedule.
Current international fixture lists, which have bloated beyond all reason in recent years, make it incredibly difficult to fit in extra matches, and any reallocation of match days to associate nations will come at a cost, be it the revenues of that seventh ODI in a series or to the English counties who traditionally enjoy the fruits of tourists’ warm-up games.
Such an edict could come from the ICC, but by attempting to cull the associates from the next World Cup they have already demonstrated that their commitment to the progress of associate cricket is little more than lip service. Hence it is England to whom Ireland must look to, to back up their words of support with real support to the game here.
Unfortunately, much like with the ICC, English cricket’s backing of the game in Ireland appears to have plateaued. They have done little to further Ireland’s Test match ambitions, and continue to enjoy the fruits of Ireland’s development in the form of poaching our most talented players.
From a position of dominance at the associate level, Ireland risk stagnation just at the moment when the sport in the country appears to be gaining momentum. Bland platitudes about growing the game globally are being put to the test, and as yet nobody seems willing to answer the bell, leaving Ireland’s hopes of progressing the sport at home at the mercy of the skies above.Explore more on these topics:

World Of Sport | SportsJOE
world of sport