“Had to pull the car over. Can't see through the tears. Today the dream has come true. Congrats to everyone involved with Ireland Cricket,” - Kyle McCallan, former Ireland captain, following Ireland’s induction to cricket’s innermost circle.
Sabina Park, 2007. Bangalore, 2011. Nelson, 2015. Greatest hits for a country with a history of gritty fighting against the odds. Ireland took down Pakistan, England and the West Indies, giants of the game with their attractive brand of cricket. They were always in the corner, nagging away at the full members for more. More games, more attention, more media, trying to catapult cricket in Ireland to the top echelons of sport in the country.
Also read: Ireland and the fall that stopped but never stalled them
After years of pushing, prodding and occasional groveling, Ireland were finally given full membership and Test status. The question remains: Is it too late? Here are five reasons why Ireland should have received full membership much earlier:
#1 Ireland’s players are past their prime
William Porterfield: 32, Ed Joyce: 38, Kevin O’Brian: 33, Tim Murtagh: 35, Niall O’Brian: 35, Gary Wilson: 31. There you have it. Ireland’s greatest stars, their match-winners are all over 30. It’s unfortunate, really. They came to the fore in 2007 in their 20s, grew in stature, begging the ICC to recognise them, and now, it seems, they’ve fizzled.
Cricket Ireland should have prepared for Full Membership in 2007, when they knew they had a young group that could take on the world, with decent resources to fund their rise but a lack of initiative from the board and the ICC sees a much weakened Ireland today, one that has shown it cannot really compete against the better nations, let alone Afghanistan.
Test status came far too late, meaning Ireland will need to build their team from scratch in a few years, not an ideal situation for a newly inducted Test team.
#2 They had the administration and resources for it
Until recently, Ireland’s central contracts were worth more than those of Bangladesh, who have been a Test nation for 18 years. Well-paid players are a sign of a prospering nation, and Cricket Ireland’s ability to pay its players handsomely is a testament to the fact that they are not to be taken lightly.
Furthermore, their administration is clean of corruption and headed by a group that wants what is best for their country’s game. They hired coaches intelligently, like Phil Simmons, who raised the current crop of players over the eight years he was the coach.
They also had the administrative prowess to consistently manage fixtures against top nations. However, this plan has backfired of late and thorough beatings by Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia and Afghanistan have made them seem somewhat hapless.
#3 Their first-class structure and facilities
As a result of the quality of their administration, Cricket Ireland managed to use the increase in participation at the start of the decade to form five provincial first-class teams. Three of the teams compete in first-class cricket, while all five compete in limited overs cricket. Furthermore, there was over a 100% growth rate over the years 2011 and 2013, another sign that Ireland truly care about cricket.
The facilities they have had, although they have had problems with pitches, are outstanding. Two stadia with a capacity of over 5000 and one with a capacity of over 10,000 show the commitment Cricket Ireland and its backers have made to the sport. The training facilities as well are of a good standard. It was unfortunate that the ICC did not spur Ireland’s progress on earlier.
#4 Popularity in Ireland
If you happened to see Dara O'Briain's satirical commentary of England vs Ireland, you would notice a few things. Firstly, just how little the average Irishman knows about the sport and secondly, how they are willing to pack a stadium to find out.
This is a country where cricket has grown from the start of the decade by over 400%. In a country where cricket is just taking root as a mainstream sport, it cannot be more important to give it all the help it needs. And the ICC has helped.
Following a win in the 2007 World Cup, funding, sponsorship and popularity went through the roof, and so did Ireland’s playing quality. However, with the dwindling success of cricket, the last one or two years have actually seen partial decreases in popularity, a sign that Test status and full membership needed to come a few years ago.
The club game in Ireland needs help, and full membership will do that.
#5 Their many successes
While one may know the Irish team for the occasional successes versus top teams, their men’s, women’s and youth teams have performed consistently at the associates level for years. Their performances, which have since declined (they’re ranked 18th in T20I cricket, below Papua New Guinea and Hong Kong), were better than Bangladesh’s and Zimbabwe’s at the same point in their development.
They did more, with less, than other countries and the commitment they showed in meeting their goals was enough for the ICC to show enough confidence in them to promote them to the highest stage. Let us all hope, for the sake of cricket, that it is not too late.
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