Ireland, Afghans looking to ICC for Test status
THEY have beaten West Indies, England and Pakistan, and now Cricket Ireland will be looking to London on Thursday when they expect to be given Test match status by the International Cricket Council, while recent successes, particularly in last year’s ICC World Twenty20, have further raised Afghanistan’s cricketing profile.
In February, the ICC agreed “in principle” that this week’s meeting in London had “the potential to include additional Full Members, Ireland and Afghanistan subject to both [teams] meeting Membership criteria”.
Cricket Ireland understand there have been no hiccups since and they stand ready to take their place alongside the game’s established powers.
Both Afghanistan and Ireland are bidding to become the 11th and 12th nations to join the Test club, nearly two decades after their immediate predecessors Bangladesh, if confirmed by the International Cricket Council at the meeting.
“A committee is working inside the cricket board, and we will work on our proposal to present it to the ICC in the future, and hopefully full membership and Test status are on the way,” said Atef Mashal, the chairman of the Afghan cricket board.
The old Irish Cricket Union was founded in 1855 and Phoenix Cricket Club, founded 25 years earlier, is one of the oldest in the British Isles.
Ireland were given Associate Membership of the ICC in 1993, and after three failed attempts to qualify for the World Cup, they used home advantage in 2005 to reach the finals in the West Indies in 2007.
It took only two matches for them to make their mark on the world stage.
After tying with Zimbabwe in their opening fixture, they turned up on St Patrick’s Day to see a green pitch at Sabina Park for their match against Pakistan – and a sea of green in the crowd as thousands of Ireland fans took over the ground.
Ireland bowled out the No4 ranked team for 132 and won by seven wickets in what was Bob Woolmer’s last match as Pakistan coach. Tragically, the former England batsman was found dead in his hotel room the following morning.
Afghan fairytale
When, three weeks later, Ireland beat Bangladesh in Barbados they joined the ODI rankings table and have been there ever since.
The celebrations back home in Ireland after the Pakistan win were nothing compared to those four years later when England were toppled in Bangalore, the day Kevin O’Brien became a world famous name with a 50-ball century – still the fastest ever in a World Cup – as Ireland chased down England’s 327.
The 2015 World Cup finals saw Ireland claim two more Full Member scalps as Phil Simmons inspired his adopted team against his native West Indies and Zimbabwe, each time with totals of over 300.
Given all these achievements, it is little wonder Ireland feel ready to be put on a level playing field with the other 10 Full Members
Afghanistan’s fairytale rise in world cricket could also see them acquire coveted Test status, a massive boost for a nation long divided by war and riven by ethnic rivalries.
No longer rank minnows, captain Asghar Stanikzai’s team are up for consideration following their victories over Ireland in the Intercontinental Cup in March, which has paved the way for their potential entry into cricket’s elite.
Unlike the sport’s other major players, Afghanistan was never a colony of the British Empire. Instead, many Afghans’ first contact with the sport took place during the 1980s and 1990s, as refugees who had fled to Pakistan to escape the Soviet invasion.
Cricket struggled under the Taliban, who viewed sports as a distraction from religious duties, but it has become hugely popular in the country since the regime was toppled in a US-led invasion in 2001.
There are nevertheless questions about how well Ireland and Afghanistan would do in the game’s longest format.
Bangladesh famously floundered for their first decade, while New Zealand took 26 years to win their first Test.
Pakistani cr icket writer Ahmer Naqvi said it was important to be patient.
“For any team to make its mark, it takes a while to really get a hang of it no matter how good you are at the shorter versions.”
But, he added: “It’s extremely important to provide Test status for Afghanistan and perhaps Ireland, because it is also a virtuous circle” of greater funding, organisation and structure.