Ireland and Afghanistan Test status to be decided today at ICC meeting.

[Gowza]

Absolutely no doubt Afghanistan is ready for full status, they are as ready as any team can be with the current system.

[Shadow]

Originally Posted by brockley
The feedback is that their is an interest in the conference system,with the 2 additional teams.

Looking back on that article by Bangladesh article,pure paranoia.
Bangladesh scared they either just play the low 1's or even lose to them.

The fact is these 2 teams deserve status,Ireland and Afghanistan done more than Bangladesh did to get test status.
I think Bangladesh,worried they lose money and 2nd lose to these lower teams which is possible.

Zimbabwe don't have a first class system atm,they all on Strike,why should Zimbabwe stay after losing to Afghanistan,and these 2 nations that have basics for a first class system miss out.

I agree with you. Afghanistan and Ireland deserves test status. With the new system implemented, Bangladesh will get to play more tests.This can only help.

[brockley]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...t-championship
Looks like it will be a 9/3 splt,with Zimbabwe with Afghanistan and Ireland,and maybe play some full members if time allows.

[NoName]

I can agree to that, a minimum of 12 ODIs a year and a guaranteed 4 test match series a year.

[NoName]

Only thing I wonder is how many test matches will constitute a series? The championship rankings would be really skewed if India/Aus/Eng play each other for 5 matches and the rest get 2-3 a series

[brockley]

I guess if you are Zimbabwe,you are going to be pi***d,likewise Afghanistan and Ireland too because its not the 2 groups of 6 promised,I guess their must have been some dirty dealing to come up with a 9/3. split,Bangladesh would be stoked with that system.Its up to them if they play those "no bodies".

[NoName]

Zim is a lost cause, but the report states Ireland and Afg will be guaranteed fixtures with the other 9 teams so its something at least.

[brockley]

Yeh saw on facebook that of their shining 19 year olds to go to college in S Africa,so another kid leaves,he had his A debut against Afghanistan A.

[Rinathq]

Bangladesh will benefit highly from this if its true. 8 series for 2 years is a perfect number for our team.

I think its fair if teams like Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland play more matches between each other and a couple of test matches against the top 9. They will have their chances of moving up and hopefully after a few years of test cricket, they will get more fixtures against other teams. The important thing is to grant these 2 teams a full status

[brockley]

I'd watch Australia vs Ireland in Canberra,despite not liking crowds,stay at my sisters' and go and watch the game,maybe even Afghanistan too.

[adamnsu]

IMO Associates should have their own Test tier and play against each other to get them more accustomed to Test cricket.

They should organise more matches with A teams of Test playing nations

[brockley]

Last time Ireland played a full member,not Zimbabwe or Zimbabwe A, was S Africa A and Australia A,5 years ago.
Afghanistan only played Zimbabwe A.
Just not going to happen Adamsu.

They are more likely to play an A side if they get test status.
Also read the 9 members will play 1 of Afghanistan,Ireland and or Zimbabwe in tests,so they won't get Test matches much apart from playing eachother.Deoends how charitable are those 9 nations.

When the intercontinental cup finishes up,have another 2 and afterwards the top team gets test staus also,a group of 3 is too small.

[Donal C]

From the phrasing of the ICC's report on the meeting, it seems to me that Ireland and Afghanistan have both applied for Full Membership.

Smart for both to go for it at once, Ireland could piggyback of Afghanistans cricket culture and following, Afghanistan can piggbyback off Ireland's historic successes, women's team growth. Also, adding an Asian and European to the voting block at once would appease all sides (from the voting perspective, ECB/CA get a new partner, BCCI get a new partner)

[Match Adda]

Ireland and Afghanistan deserve it, same way they have to cut Zimbabwe here.. Zimbabwe just a name for world cricket now days .. they r going to marry Kenya soon. So take Zimbabwe out, in Ireland and Afghanistan. If other teams like srilanka, West Indies, Pakistan,Newzeland don't have a problem 2 tair system, so do we. Atelast we will play more cricket,we will learn more, more players will be come out from Bd and others.

[brockley]

Bangladesh the talent is starting to flow like Afghanistan.
Ireland have the players now,its future depends on what structures are put in place.The under 19 side at the World Youth Cup had many talented players,and they have not been lost unlike Zimbabwe's under 19 team.

[MHRAM]

Originally Posted by adamnsu
IMO Associates should have their own Test tier and play against each other to get them more accustomed to Test cricket.

They should organise more matches with A teams of Test playing nations

Associates already have the intercontinental cup for that particular purpose.

What they need is more games against lower tier test teams like Bangladesh, Pakistan, WI and SL

[Gowza]

I think they should play the A teams of the bigger full status countries eg Australia, South Africa, India etc but also get some games with the likes of zim, WI and BD.

Consider it a similar system to that of Namibia being in SA domestics tournaments.

That's for top associates. All full status test nations should play all the other test nations, but maybe start against the teams that are weaker at that time and build up to the better teams.