So, in the end, there wasn’t much hope. If Ireland had not played so well on the first two days, it would not hurt so much to see it end this way.
Better sides than Ireland have found it difficult chasing smallish targets against canny bowlers under a cloudy sky. It is easy to look back on how it could have been different. The first innings was crucial – Ireland’s collapse from 2/133 to 207 all-out let England back in the game. Sam Curran’s quick runs in England’s second innings also made an enormous difference, hauling his side from 8/248-8 to 9/293.
At the same time, William Porterfield and coach Graham Ford will surely be doing a lot of soul-searching after such a disastrous capitulation. As proud as Irish fans will be of their team’s overall performance here, it is important that we don’t let such collapses go unlamented and unexamined.
That said, it is worth remembering just how long it took other countries to record their first Test match victories.
India took 21 years and 24 matches. New Zealand took 26 years and 45 matches, despite having legendary talents like Bert Sutcliffe and Martin Donnelly in that period. South Africa lost all but one of their first eleven Tests, before recording their first victory in 1906.
It will not take Ireland so long, both on the evidence of their fine performance here, and because there are plenty of beatable teams around in modern cricket. But consistently competitive Test teams have a long gestation period.
It is vitally important to take action to safeguard Ireland’s international future. Of course, we need to ‘water’ the grassroots – more players, more clubs, more kids, more fans. But there are also three vital steps that need to be taken at the elite level.
Firstly, we need a dedicated international-calibre cricket stadium on the island. Presently, marquee fixtures are played in front of literal marquees at Malahide, an hour north of Dublin.
Cricket Ireland has been putting up temporary stands for high profile fixtures, at no little expense. Other matches are played at what are essentially club grounds, at Stormont near Belfast and Bready near Londonderry. A permanent stadium in Dublin or Belfast will make it far easier and more profitable to host home Tests.
Secondly, Ireland need to play more Tests. Presently, we have ten matches pencilled in between now and October 2022. Three of these, however, are against Zimbabwe, who are currently suspended by the ICC for political interference. We need more opportunities against top sides like England, as well as longer series against mid-ranking sides.
Thirdly, we need to expand the Interprovincial first-class competition. At the moment, there are three teams, who play just four matches each per season. Simply playing more matches would be a start.
Building a new stadium is a matter of investment, government support, and time. However, there is a simple partial solution to the other two problems.
Fast-track Scotland to full membership.
Scotland have had excellent results in limited overs matches recently, beating England last year and proving themselves virtually equal with Ireland and Afghanistan. They have a strong, mostly home-grown side; realistically they are in the same place Ireland was four or five years ago.
Having both Ireland and Scotland playing Tests would be mutually beneficial. They would be able to play each other frequently, potentially every year. These matches would be well-contested, and could be played at relatively low cost.
Ireland and Scotland could also share a first-class structure. Six teams – based in Belfast, Dublin, Londonderry, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen – playing ten matches per season, along with one-dayers and T20s. There is no reason why this cannot be put in motion even before Scotland are given full membership.
The upcoming Euro T20 franchise series, featuring teams from Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, will hopefully prove that such international cooperation can work. After all, it has worked in the rugby for years: Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Italian and even South African teams all play in the Pro 14.
This Hiberno-Scottish competition may never reach the standard of the County Championship or Sheffield Shield. It doesn’t need to. New Zealand’s Plunkett Shield, with all due respect, has never aspired to such heights, but has produced consistently competitive international teams for years.
Ireland’s first-innings demolition of England shows how much potential there is for cricket on the island. Their fourth-innings capitulation shows how much work remains to be done. It will require hard graft from the team, vision from Cricket Ireland, support from the ICC, and most likely investment from the British and Irish governments.
Noah Barling
Roar Pro
I do like that idea, it was how NZ started out with us Aussies helping them. I do like the idea mentioned of a First Class league between Scotland, Ireland and Holland
Samuel Cardwell
Roar Rookie
For sure. Ordinarily, I would say that Scotland aren't there yet, but I do think Scotland and Ireland could be mutually sustaining.
Noah Barling
Roar Pro
I am a huge fan of Ireland. I just felt that it gave me a team that wasn't full of super-stars to go for. So hopefully Ireland along with the other nations can really build there base. I did write an article about Ireland when they got promoted up.
Noah Barling
Roar Pro
Maybe it would be worth the ICC investing more in those nations that made the Intercontinental Cup and the grassroots there so that the base is built up rather than investing in lots of new nations?
Samuel Cardwell
Roar Rookie
Yeah - better for the younger players to come out and play grade cricket if anything.
Samuel Cardwell
Roar Rookie
Oh, there's absolutely nothing wrong with having overseas players! I actually admire England's inclusiveness. And Ireland have had lots over the years - the great Trent Johnston, not to mention Tim Murtagh. The issue with the Netherlands is that they seem to *rely* on overseas-born players in the absence of locals - I just fear they don't have a sustainable base.
Noah Barling
Roar Pro
100% a big concern that the ICC should look into. The other thing though, is the England Test team has always had a lot of South Africans in it as well as now Archer who was fast tracked. I certainly hope that they can get some traction. Having looked at the Intercontinental Cup results, Scotland was below the UAE and Hong Kong, so there is a lot of work to be done there.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
County contracts are worth more than Shield ones, and there are a lot more internationals on during an Australian summer. With South Africa and New Zealand usually hosting internationals (and T20 comps) at the time, sometimes India might have a series at home, and Bangladesh having a T20 comp. Anyone who is a regular in more than one format can't commit to a Shield season. And all those nations have their own FC scene on at the time. One of the reasons the BCCI prohibits Indian players from playing BBL (along with protecting the IPL) is that the Indian FC season is underway at the time. We only have six FC teams to begin with, so those outside international contention or from the "minor" nations who might be available are usually not going to be in big demand - or can earn money playing elsewhere.
Samuel Cardwell
Roar Rookie
Not until he stops playing for England - he couldn't play for Ireland in tests and England in ODIs at the same time. There might be a qualification period after he retires from England as well. My hope is that he retires from England soon and sees out his career playing for Ireland again. After Ed Joyce retired - and with Porterfield's form dropping off badly - we definitely need an experienced top-order batsman.
Samuel Cardwell
Roar Rookie
Ha, hello Nigel! I think if we had got through the 10 overs without losing a wicket, we'd have won the match - that's when the mental collapse happened. We've played a fair bit of long-format cricket over the years, but there's a massive step up from playing an intercontinental cup match against the Netherlands in front of twelve people. My terror is that half this team will be retired the next time we play England - will we be able to produce a Test quality team again? That said, I was pleasantly surprised by how well Adair bowled, and I thought McCollum looked a very organised player.
Samuel Cardwell
Roar Rookie
My main issue with the Netherlands is the lack of homegrown players - they still rely heavily on South Africans and Australians for the national team. I don't know what the grassroots are like and if there's any cricket in schools at all?
Tigerbill44
Roar Guru
I would like to know the Eoin Morgan situation. Is he qualified to play for the Irish test team?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
We could do it with the Test schedule, but unfortunately we only have 2 weeks break between the end of the Ashes and a 3 game T20 away tour to Bangladesh, then 2 weeks after that back in Oz for a home 3 game T20 series v Sri Lanka starting late October. So it's possible, but I very much dislike overlapping formats for the national team...
Peter Warrington
Guest
we probably still have time to schedule one for Sept this time around?!
Adz Sportz
Roar Guru
The whole national schedule has been stupid for years. The lower tier nations never play enough test matches. I get that nobody wants to see mismatches, but Ireland should be playing a lot of test cricket against lower ranked teams. That's how they will get better and become good enough to tour the likes of Australia and India. It's how Bangladesh got better. They started playing more test cricket
Noah Barling
Roar Pro
Netherlands were actually close to getting the second spot in the Championship from I think it was Afghanistan, but might be Ireland. So there is no doubt that they should be next team into the test arena
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Hopefully the next tour doesn't include both a World Cup and an Ashes! I agree. Ireland isn't part of the WTC so there's no disruption to ranking points. The World Test Championship is in London in June 2020. Almost no country has any fixtures schedule in the 2 months prior. That would be a great opportunity to at least have both those finalists play a Test each against Ireland and in Ireland.
Nigel Price
Guest
As an England supporter, I certainly enjoyed my two days at Lord's this week. Ireland were spirited opponents. Their bowling was disciplined and canny, though their batting was wildly uneven. The weather for this match was fairly extreme by UK standards. Two days of high temperatures deadened the pitch and sapped the energy of the players. The outfield was fairly slow, especially on day one. The heavy overcast on the third day played straight into England's hands, it's true, but cloud cover is common throughout this part of the world and the Irish team can't be wholly unfamiliar with such conditions, even if they are not used to playing against a bowling attack of this calibre. I thought that the Irish batting collapse smacked of mental tiredness as much as inexperience, as players struggled to cope with the idea that opponents whom they'd so comprehensively outplayed on the first day were still far from beaten. No, Ireland definitely need to play more tests, to build up their experience and help them develop not just their technique, but their mental toughness and resilience. I certainly look forward to seeing them playing again at Lord's.
Peter Warrington
Guest
I think it is a sad lost opportunity if we don't play at least one test in Ireland every time we tour the UK.
Simoc
Guest
The main problem is they're not good enough. England had a mindset problem against Ireland which they cured after being stung. The good players will play county cricket in England. If they do well there someone here may notice.