Ireland cancels home Test against Bangladesh:
Ireland has dropped the home Test against Bangladesh, which was scheduled for summer 2020, citing financial challenges. Ireland also canceled 5 T20Is against Afghanistan.
Ireland has played a total of 3 Tests since becoming a full member of ICC since June 2017. Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, Warren Deutrom, talked about the longest format of the game, demanding significant investment.
Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland speaks about Ireland’s Test cricket plans:
Warren Deutrom explained that he had found the transition from Associate member to full member of the ICC hard to deal with in terms of finance, despite ICC’s support.
Warren Deutrom said that they were proud to become world cricket’s 11th Test playing nation and have a long-term commitment to that format of the game. He added that they have been cautious in their approach to Test cricket and understand that it is a long term proposition to build up a competitive side in the long game. Still, they will require significant investments in permanent infrastructure before they can make regular Test cricket financially bearable.
Deutrom revealed that the ICC had been supportive in giving them this opportunity, but the reality to date is that Cricket Ireland is suffering from significant financial challenges. He added that the costs associated with delivering to Full Membership standards and fixing a much greater number of international fixtures each year has not been matched by expected revenues and several crucial unforeseen financial blows.
Duetrom also pointed out that Ireland is not part of the World Test Championship, which makes the one-off home Test against Bangladesh lacking context.
Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland wants to focus on T20Is and ODIs in the upcoming year in preparations for the T20 World Cup and World Cup Super League, which will be held in 2020.
