Afghans, Irish ascend to cricket’s top level

The rise of Afghanistan and Ireland in the ranks of international cricket gathered pace on Thursday when they were voted in as full International Cricket Council members, meaning they can play test matches against the world’s elite countries. By becoming the first countries to receive test status since Bangladesh in 2000, they took the number of test-playing nations to 12. The first tests for Afghanistan and Ireland could be against each other, as early as next year.