Irish strike a blow for associates ahead of 2019 revamp

Wednesday, 18 February 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ireland’s John Mooney celebrates hitting the winning runs as they beat the West Indies for the first time in their Cricket World Cup match in Nelson, 16 February. Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce came agonisingly close to centuries but still helped Ireland cause the first upset of the 2015 cricket World Cup with a four-wicket victory over West Indies at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Monday – Reuters SYDNEY (Reuters): Ireland’s World Cup victory over West Indies on Monday was the kind of giant-killing that lights up any tournament but cricket fans should enjoy it while they can ahead of format changes for the 2019 version of the event. It is the third straight tournament that Ireland have turned over one of the 10 “full members” of the International Cricket Council that play test matches and occupy the upper echelons of cricket’s ranking system. Ireland are one of four “associate members” with Scotland, United Arab Emirates and debutants Afghanistan in the 14-strong field at the tournament but in 2019 only 10 teams will take part, the top eight in the rankings and two qualifiers. The problem with the current format, according to its many critics, is that the first month of the tournament is played out merely to confirm the top eight in the rankings as the quarter-finalists. “It’s almost easy, barring the odd upset or someone really having a bad tournament, you can almost predict who the top eight will be,” former India skipper Rahul Dravid told ESPN Cricinfo in January. Ireland may yet throw another hefty spanner or two into those works but from 2019 they will have to battle it out with the lower ranked full members and the other associate members just to get to the tournament in England and Wales. Depending on the results from the qualifying tournament in Bangladesh in 2018, the next World Cup might go ahead without a single associate member. Striking the balance between encouraging nations where the sport is growing and enduring a string of unsightly one-sided results in the early rounds can be tough. Some, like former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith, favour investing heavily to allow the developing nations to grow in strength until they are ready to play at the top level. Up to that point, he believes, they can only detract from what should be the showpiece event for the game. “I feel that tournaments like the World T20 and Champions Trophy will be an opportune time to give these nations the chance to play,” he said. “I think throwing them into an event like this every four years is a bit hit-and-miss and takes away from what is an iconic event for cricket.” Ireland skipper William Porterfield, you can be certain, would disagree and on Monday he suggested tearing up the whole system of “full” and “associate” members altogether. “I don’t see why a team has to be an associate and a team has to be a full member,” he told reporters in Nelson. “It’s like sure you’re ranked or whatever. It’s not like that in any other sport, so I don’t see why it has to be like that in ours.”

Factbox: Cricket World Cup upsets

Reuters: Following is a factbox on associate member countries defeating test-playing nations at the 50-over World Cup after Ireland beat West Indies by four wickets in the Pool B match at Nelson, New Zealand on Monday: Sri Lanka beat India – 1979, England The small island nation did not have test status then but defeated India by 47 runs in the match at Old Trafford in Manchester. India put their opponents in to bat first but Sri Lanka, playing without injured captain Anura Tenekoon, amassed 238-5 in 60 overs. India started well with a 60-run opening stand but kept losing wickets thereafter to be all out for 191. Zimbabwe beat Australia – 1983, England It was Zimbabwe’s first official one-day international and they couldn’t have fared any better. Current India coach Duncan Fletcher led from the front with a 69 against an attack featuring Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson and the captain returned to take four wickets to restrict the batting line-up, including the likes of Allan Border and Rod Marsh, to 226. Zimbabwe won by 13 runs. Zimbabwe beat England – 1992, Australia Still an associate nation, the Africans stunned England by nine runs in a low-scoring match at the small Australian town of Albury. England, having already qualified for the semi-finals, bundled out Zimbabwe for 134 but then probably took things a bit too easily to get skittled out for 125 on the first ball of the final over. Zimbabwe were granted test status three months later by the International Cricket Council. Kenya beat West Indies – 1996, India No one would have given the minnows any chance against the twice world champions and more so after West Indies dismissed them for 166 after opting to field. But a batting line-up featuring Richie Richardson, Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were all out for 93 in the 36th over, handing Kenya a massive victory by 73 runs. Bangladesh beat Pakistan – 1999, England The 62-run victory at Northampton paved the way for Bangladesh to gain test status from the ICC the following year. Asked to bat first, Bangladesh posted 223 for nine, thwarted by a five-wicket haul from off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq but then returned to bundle out Pakistan for 161 inside 45 overs. Kenya beat Sri Lanka – 2003, Kenya Probably the golden phase of Kenyan cricket when they beat Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to reach the last four of the World Cup. The Nairobi crowd erupted with joy as the home team beat 1996 champions Sri Lanka by 53 runs, riding on a five-wicket haul by leg-spinner Collins Obuya. Batting first, Kenya posted 210-9 and then skittled their opponents out for 157 in 45 overs. Canada beat Bangladesh – 2003, South Africa Playing their first World Cup, Canada pulled off a 60-run win against Bangladesh in Durban, courtesy of a five-wicket haul from pace bowler Austin Codrington. Canada managed only 180 batting first but then skittled Bangladesh for 120 in 28 overs. Ireland beat Pakistan – 2007, West Indies On a green pitch in Sabina Park, Ireland dismissed Pakistan for 132 after putting them in to bat. They didn’t have an easy time either with the bat but managed to chase down the target with three wickets remaining to celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style. The loss put Pakistan out of the World Cup and later in the night they also lost coach Bob Woolmer to a fatal heart attack. Ireland beat England – 2011, India England would have never imagined what lied ahead when they scored 327-8 batting first in Bangalore and then reduced Ireland to 111-5 in the 25th over. The drama unfolded from there on as Kevin O’Brien walked in to play one of one-day cricket’s most sensational knocks – 113 off 63 deliveries – before being run out. Ireland didn’t panic in the nerve-wracking match as pulled off a great victory with five balls to spare and three wickets in hand. Ireland beat West Indies – 2015, New Zealand Very few would call it an upset after Ireland’s victories over Pakistan and England in 2007 and 2011 editions respectively but the ease with which they chased down a target of 304 would have surprised most. The Irish reduced West Indies to 87-5 after opting to field first but the Caribbean side managed a brilliant recovery through a 154-run stand for the sixth wicket. Ireland had a brief hiccup towards the closing stage when they lost a flurry of wickets to become 291-6 from 273-2 but got past the target with 25 balls to spare and four wickets intact.