Irish cricket chiefs decline ECB one day invite

IRISH cricket bosses have declined the ECB’s invitation to participate in the ECB’s domestic one day competition in 2010, with Holland taking their place.

The ECB announced a restructuring of the county game earlier this year, with a single 40-over competition taking over from the Pro40 and the Friends Provident trophy.

Ireland and Scotland, who previously competed in the Friends Provident Trophy, were invited to be part of the new competition, but Cricket Ireland have decided against accepting due to increased international commitments.

Said Cricket Ireland coach Phil Simmons. “Our international fixture calendar has become very comprehensive, and, assuming we get what we think we will get fixture-wise and we continue to qualify for events and their latter stages like the last couple of years, we may have between 40-50 international fixtures in 2010.

“Leading up to the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent, I want to focus on primarily the 15 or 16 players who will represent us there, and I feel that the 12 additional games would be a step too far for the guys. It’s approaching an all year round game for Irish cricket, therefore the timing doesn’t work as well as in past years.”

Simmons however recognised that the Friends Provident Trophy had played a crucial role in the development of some of Ireland’s rising stars, and revealed his plans to fill that void.

“There’s no doubt that the Friends Provident Trophy provided a great platform for players to show their potential, and Paul Stirling and Regan West showed to me just what they were capable of in these games,’’ he said.

“To ensure that the fringe players get plenty of opportunities to showcase their talent, the ECB are actively assisting us to increase our A team schedule. I hope we can get a minimum of five three day games against County Second XI’s next year.

“We’ll also be playing in the U19 World Cup in January in New Zealand, and it’s my intention for a substantial number of that squad to form the basis of the A team.”

Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom added: “This was not an easy decision for us. Notwithstanding any possible changes to its format down the line, international cricket is our bread and butter and the means by which we are measured on the global stage. Therefore, we felt that we needed to focus our limited financial resources on preparing for our international programme.”