Ireland captain William Porterfield has branded the decision to exclude associate nations from the 2015 World Cup as “an embarrassment” and “a joke” and has warned it could kill the game in non-Test playing countries.

Ireland captain William Porterfield is confident his side can belie their underdog status and progress from the group stages of the World Cup.

Ireland completed a perfect Group A campaign of five wins from five matches at the World Cup Qualifying tournament with today’s easy seven-wicket success against Namibia in Johannesburg.

Roy Keane dedicated Sunderland’s Premier League victory over Reading to FA Cup hero Ian Porterfield as his side ended its four-game losing run.