OK, so the circumstances were bizarre to say the least, but Bangladesh cannot be blamed for the internal woes of West Indies cricket, so their 2-0 test series win deserves the highest praise. It has taken the minnows of test cricket 60 tests to register a series win, and the fact that it was against a West Indies team devoid of all its main test squad may have removed some of the gloss, but it is still a memorable win for Bangladesh. And it was thoroughly deserved, as they outclassed their opponents in both games.
On the face of it, this may have no direct effect on Cricket Ireland, but looking beyond the unusual circumstances that surrounded the game, the result shows that the difference at the bottom end of the test ladder is not as pronounced as some people would have us think. Of course Ireland would struggle in the current test arena since it embraces all the test countries, but given the possibility of two divisions of test cricket, therein lies the stepping-stone to bigger horizons.
The two division concept has been around for some time, but every year the argument to go down this road gets stronger and stronger, not least because of financial considerations. The best teams attract the biggest sponsorship and gate receipts, and that’s a preserve they wish to protect going forward, hence the great difficulty in breaking into this unique ‘private members club.’ It’s all about money and self-preservation at the top of most sports and cricket is no different, but with a little intuition and vision, all interests could be accommodated.
Two divisions works if all the teams in both divisions are of a comparable standard at the outset, and from then on promotion and relegation takes care of ongoing inclusion. There is no problem with the premier division, other than deciding how many countries should be included, but therein lies the crucial factor that has a huge influence on the second tier. If the sections have five teams, that means South Africa, Australia, India, England and Pakistan would probably be included, with Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe the other participants. Not much opening there for aspiring Associate Countries, so let’s move Sri Lanka up and create two sections of six teams and two openings for possibly Irelandand Kenya. Again promotion and relegation would apply over a two-year period.
Using this system each country would have five test series over a two-year period and enough time to play as much ODI and Twenty20 cricket as they care. It would also allow the minnows a soft and meaningful entry into the world of test cricket, and by applying financial parameters to each division, the top teams would still get the lion’s share of funding, but the second division would also receive meaningful remuneration. And there is the incentive for other associate countries to move up into the test arena.
It has been widely debated on Irish cricket forums that Ireland doesn’t have a four-day competition or 1st Class competition to prepare their players for test cricket, but with so many of the national squad now in the county scene, at least one stepping-stone is already in place. Also Ireland plays a number of four-day games in their current itinerary, so most of the players are already accustomed to the longer game. However, if Ireland entered a test cricket environment, it would be absurd to do it without some form of representative cricket that embraced the longer game. That in itself might be a challenge, given the demands of club cricket, and the past difficulty in getting players to commit to Sunday ODI representative games. It will certainly be interesting to see what format is proposed to meet the vacuum between test cricket and the current set-up, should a door of opportunity open for Cricket Ireland.
Some sceptics would have us believe that test cricket is dying, but tell that to the thousands of spectators at Lord’s last weekend, and the millions glued to the television coverage all over the world. Compare that with ‘two men and a dog’ watching the test matches in St. Vincent and Grenada, and we can see there are already two divisions in place.
Hopefully Cricket Ireland can move up the ladder and join them!
Clarence Hiles
Editor
