Defeat in this recently-concluded two-match series, however, was almost inconsequential for a nation emerging from an 18-month hiatus from Test cricket. Ireland and Afghanistan, who became Full Members by gaining Test status in 2017, are also not part of the WTC, and similarly have barely played Test cricket; Ireland have had only six Tests since, while Afghanistan just three. Until that announcement, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan had combined to play just 23 Tests since 2017; none of them played another for the rest of 2022 as well. We want to play Tests. “Our players are keen (to play Tests), but we have to be realistic,” Ireland’s ICC board director Ross McCollum said.

Source: The Herald February 19, 2023 22:11 UTC