O and Zimbabwe is a basket case in about every way possible right now and there is no way they should be in the top tier.

from Flanflinger
If you asked me in 2004 I could have named a lot of Zimbabwian players.
I can name a few past Zimbabwe players but I only know the current ones I know due to running the fantasy cricket, and the line up seems to change rapidly. Elton Chigumbura is one name that springs to mind but I had to look on cricinfo to remember his surname (I remember his first name as I imagine him wearing silly glasses and a big wig , like Elton John!). I agree with naming a current player from every other test team. No problem.

As for Test cricket, I think the next one is TBC v SA, Australia will tour (in June 2007 but is this still happening?It's not on the calender anymore? )but will only play ODI's The only solid confirmation for Zimbabwe is the ICCC 2020 world cup and the tour to Pakistan in January 2008 where they will play 3 ODI's
The ICC intercontinental cup is effectively the 'second division' for tests, the developing cricket nations play four day games etc.I don't like the idea of a 'test' league because for a team coming up , that superb, but for a team going down, that's difficult.Imagine if England (insert your team here)went down? You'd soon be up in arms about it. Especially if it was just one bad game on one bad pitch or due to rain. And if some teams went down, "nuclear war"(well riots, flag burning/effagy burning) would follow.

Ireland are still learning a bit . They play full ODI's now for a couple of years. Let's see how they get on and what infrastructure gets developed. It would be great to see Scotland and Ireland get test status(and any other nation too) but personally I think the next test nation will be Kenya and that they are perhaps 3 or 4 years away from it.

Kenya
Ireland
Scotland
Should all get test recognition within 5 years??
Holland and Canada , Denmark ten years??

Some countries will never get test status. France is one of them. I think that realistically the number of test playinng countries will be self limiting , perhaps we'll see a maximum of 20 teams in 100 years time

Ireland are proof that the system is working.
Bob Woolmer agreed http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wc20...ry/285683.html

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I have a dream.... (Martin Luther King)

Prosper Utseya, Eddie Rainsford, Brendan Taylor, V-something Sibanda (opening batsman I believe).

Thought I'd have a go. Other than those guys I struggle, especially now that Anthony Ireland has quit and Andy Blignaut went a while ago.

And the players with a European background look more like the remnants of the old boys of a quaint colonial private school and until recently priveleged background rather than any player who is deserved of playing international cricket

There are two questions in this:

(1) are Ireland ready for test cricket? Answer - case not proven;
(2) are Zimbabwe worthy of retention in test cricket? Answer - almost certainly not.

But that argues in favour of dropping Zimbabwe from the roster, not of swapping their place with Ireland. There's no reason to link these two points, hence my "No" vote.

On the issue of two-tier tests, I don't see them coming for several years at least, and I am not sure I am especially sorry about that. Along with promotion from Division Two there must also be relegation from Division One, otherwise the two tier system breaks down. Why would any of the existing test nations vote for that? You're not going to get the vote from anyone at present risk of relegation, and in the medium to long term everyone is at the risk of the drop. And what happens when Australia are relegated to Division Two while England remain in Division One? Bang goes The Ashes. Likewise a number of other well regarded traditional rivalries would risk losing their periodic showcase events.

Overall, I'm afraid two tier tests are an awful idea. Let the newcomers in when they are ready or close to it - I for one was glad to see Bangladesh arrive and look forward to the arrival of Kenya and Ireland in due course. I don't care how often they get beaten in their early years. Eventually, they will get stronger. I believe that happens naturally when newcomers play the best opposition, albeit perhaps over a long term. I should have thought that Ireland's performance in the present World Cup supports that view, doesn't it?

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You beat me to posting this point OF. Imagine England being relegated into Divsion Two and only having Holland - Ireland and the likes of kenya and Zimbawe to play.

I believe that if teams like Ireland keep improving, then let them into the one day set up for a few years.

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Ern

Teams like Ireland won't keep improving unless they are allowed in to at least the ODI setup, and if you look at the team that they can already field and add Joyce they are a more than decent team who are close enough to a par with Bangladesh to be given the chance.

Well, Ireland is in the ODI format until 2009, having been admitted to the ODI Championship by virtue of its victories over two full members - Pakistan and Bangladesh. Detail on the ICC website here.

__________________
Money won't buy you friends. But it gets you a better class of enemy.
Spike Milligan

The Irish are like a baby Bangladesh taking the first few tottering steps of walking. Kenya well did'nt end up with the 2 wins against ICB rated teams. That they still have to do.

Considering the closeness in proximity surely it would'nt hurt the English to organise an annual 3 match tournament in ODI's against the Irish.
As for tests I would be interested to see how the Irish stack up against Zimbabwe, Kenya and Bangladesh.
Maybe rather than a 2 tier system that requires a relugation from the top tier as well as a promotion from the bottom tier. A 2 tier system could be introduced where nobody gets relugated from the top group but a team can get provisionally promoted from the bottom group, but cannot become a permanment member of the top tier until it performs a mandatory performance hurdle such as winning at least 3 test against at least 2 different teams in at least 2 different country's during the calender or cricket year. If not that team go's back to the 2nd tier and another one comes back up to 1st tier. The second tier could operate through 2 or 3 year cycles.

Ireland are a good, enthusiastic up & coming team, but it is way too premature to even be thinking about giving them Test status. When Zimbabwe were originally given that position, they were a much better team and produced some genuinely world class players like Andy Flower and Heath Streak. Zim's current limbo is entirely due to political 'cleansing' and so in that sense the two countries cannot be compared.

A better yardstick would be to compare Ireland with Bangladesh; IMO, the latter were themselves accorded Test status way too early and inevitably recorded some embarassing defeats. They are only getting there about now and the same mistake should be avoided with Ireland. They should be allowed to develop the game at their own pace without undue pressures to perform and maybe in time they will get there.