Ireland target first Test appearance in 2018
Last updated on .From the section Cricket

Ireland are aiming to play their first Test in 2018, according to Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said earlier in February that the Irish would gain Test status this year, and that they could play their first match before then.
"There are no plans to play Tests in 2017 - we are looking towards 2018," Deutrom told BBC Sport.
"I don't see any reason why that can't happen. I'd be surprised if we didn't."
The ICC's plans come after a lengthy debate over the future of Test cricket, including how to spread the game and give each series more context.
The agreed solution is for a nine-team Test league, running over a two-year cycle - starting in 2019 - with every side playing each other once.
Three more teams - probably current Test side Zimbabwe and likely newcomers Ireland and Afghanistan - would be guaranteed a schedule of matches over the same two-year period.
The ICC said it will make a decision on granting Test status to Ireland and Afghanistan at its next board meeting in April, with that likely to be ratified at the annual general meeting in June.
It is thought there would be no barrier to both sides being able to play Test cricket immediately, but the schedules of other nations would probably mean a wait is necessary.
Deutrom admitted that, ideally, a first Irish Test would be at home, but that it would be difficult to turn down a "dream" scenario of an away match against England.
Even then, finding space in England's summer would be incredibly difficult, with Pakistan and India set to tour in 2018.
England's future programme could be linked to that of the Irish, with the ICC expressing its desire for teams that tour the country to also play at least one Test against Ireland.
Ireland first announced plans to gain Test status in 2012, a year after earning a famous victory over England at the 2011 World Cup.
They had already beaten Pakistan at the 2007 tournament and, in 2015, beat West Indies and Zimbabwe before narrowly failing to qualify from the group stage.
In October, Ireland's Inter-Provincial competition became the first domestic tournament outside of a Test nation to be granted first-class status.
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As a proud Englishman, I'm very much looking forward to the new friendly but intense rivalry I hope will develop over the coming years.
Welcome to the club!
If they can get their infrastructure going and to be as good as their ODI/T20 sides, then I can see them being competitive in time. Just look at the steady progress of Bangladesh as evidence.
Good Luck Ireland!!
OK, it's taken Bangladesh a while to get to that level, but it would be great if Ireland can also be allowed to take a big step in that direction.
Good luck to them.
Irish fan here and there will be one sided games I'm sure but since our games will mostly consist of Zim/AFG then it should certainly help our experience...
You would imagine with Morgan being a patriotic Irishman approaching the latter stages of his career he will return to ireland and with many talented Irishmen in the county game such as Rankin, Porterfield, Joyce etc. I see no reason why they cannot progress
The more countries that play proper cricket, ie Test Cricket , and not T20 the better. I am sure with time they can do quite well.
The ECB stands for the England and Wales Cricket Board. Wales would have to leave the ECB before it attempted to start the long process that may lead to Test Status. Wales is not about to do that!
Great news for Ireland and Afghanistan, big congratulations to both Boards and to ICC for having the vision.
Growing Test Cricket across the world is essential for it to survive. A (relatively) rapid expansion at an appropriate standard could create a new natural 'second tier' which automatically takes us - in time - to formal promotion and relegation and a league system.
Whether an Irish team will ever be good enough - well, how long did it take NZ to beat England?