Anthony Ireland

[ZIMDOGGY]

We have to get this kid.

This deserved a thread I think. We talk about whether the tinashes, the shingis and the chitaras coming in as a white knight to shore up the attack..... But there can be no question Ireland is our best man, the best pace bowler produced in the last decade in Zimbabwe, young, handsome and wasting away at county level.


I really think the guys in charge have to do whatever it takes to get him back to the country. Even a franchise at first( rocks need a bowler or two) and from there we can kidnap him, take him to kwekwe and brainwash him back to his senses


We need him so much

[eugene]

Just pay him what he wants, give him all the women he wants. We need him back. Tinasche may be a good club cricketer but test player he aint. Anthony Ireland is the real deal.

[hhm]

Spot on ZIMDOGGY. All channels must be exhausted. A mandate from the highest echelons possible - chartered plane with Coltart, Campbell, Butcher, Streak , Grant along with Ozias and his entire board (bar Peter). Sit him down at the most grandiose venue and successfully woo him with everything reasonably at their disposal. Perhaps along the way they can pick up Colin de Grandhomme and twist Sean Ervine's arm again. Long shot!

On a more serious note, it beats me why these county teams' directors&coaches or the powers that be at the ICC would condone or quietly ignore such negative developments instead of intervening as best they can, when they can clearly see that a test nation or aspiring test nation has players who can develop and improve the quality of the team, domestic cricket & ultimately the competitiveness in Test cricket overall, but that palyer is tied down at county level for things that can be worked around. Admittedly it's player's choice, but surely something can be done - changes to quotas of foreign/kolpak players from developing sides only (maybe certain EU laws can be a factor). In fact I would go to the point of advocating for certain rules to be waivered in exceptional cases relating to these developing sides such that should a player like Morgan, who has turned out for Eng but in time falls way out of favor (as he will - too much top&middle order batting quality in Eng - or from SA - for him to tie down a long term spot!), does not need to wait the stipulated length of time to represent a developing side he immediately qualifies for in this case Ireland.

If I'm not mistaken, in the last 25 years only Zim & Bang have gained test status! Why, is test cricket some kind of highly exclusive club or something! I mean I don't think anyone can tell me of another club/organisation whose rules of entry are as exclusive and peculiarly stringent as this. These ICC bust**ds are certainly just sitting on their backsides and idling around. 25 years!

[eugene]

Actually if Zimbabwe became an Associate member we could probably get some players to still represent us who still harbour ambitions of qualifying for NZ, Australia, England, etc. If I am not mistaken you can represent an Associate side but still play for a different full member country. Someone correct me if I am wrong on this. Of course how many players would ditch Zimbabwe altogether if we became an associate is hard to judge.

The reason the ICC only has 10 full members is because not many countries are very good at cricket. Ireland is perhaps the only Associate that could ever hope of being competitive at test level.

[Dr_Situ(ZimFanatic)]

chartered plane with Coltart, Campbell, Butcher, Streak , Grant along with Ozias and his entire board (bar Peter). Sit him down at the most grandiose venue and successfully woo him with everything

Just .... give him all the women he wants.

I volunteer to fly that chartered plane full of all kind of gorgeous women but there is no guarantee of reaching destination

[maehara]

If I am not mistaken you can represent an Associate side but still play for a different full member country. Someone correct me if I am wrong on this.

You can represent an Associate side while you complete the qualifying period for a Full Member side, but if you then want to go back to playing for the Associate you have to sit on your hands for 4 years while you re-qualify. See: Ed Joyce.

You can't represent an Associate and Full Member at the same time.

[hhm]

Actually if Zimbabwe became an Associate member we could probably get some players to still represent us who still harbour ambitions of qualifying for NZ, Australia, England, etc.... The reason the ICC only has 10 full members is because not many countries are very good at cricket. Ireland is perhaps the only Associate that could ever hope of being competitive at test level.

Your thinking frightens me eugene. I have always been of the opinion that progress instead of regression in not only our collective target but our passion.

With regard to having only 10 as full members, I am fully aware and recognise the importance of maintaning a niche when it comes to Full member nations which is for the good of the game considering how delicate a game it is and very much a put off and financially disastrous if it's too one-sided. Having said that the game should to some extent be globally equitable. I believe the associates should have their own Future Tours Programme and play 5 day games between each other (i.e. play cricket and tour all-year round as they deem fit like the Full members do). They should be split into leagues that way we'll be able to prove without doubt who is ready to be a Full member, and who isn't. Occcasionally the test playing XI or A sides depending on what is considered appropriate, will play full series with these sides and the points for or against the Associate sides should go towards their ranking points. Four day games are ok for warm ups and domestic leagues. But despite the comparative big difference in the length of the sport, I dont see minnows in rugby being restricted to just 7-aside, or minnows in soocer being restricted to just 5-aside soccer. While accasionaly they get friendly/competitive games against the top sides. With regards to how you measure performance for example, a soccer striker in an average league in Europe like Norway, would need to score say 38 goals for it to equate to a score of 25 by a player in the Premiership. I'm just trying to point out that there are ways around this but every nation with a decent domestic structure and enough players, should be allowed to play tests.

[eugene]

Don't worry I don't actually think we should become an associate side. I was just thinking aloud.

[sloandog]

Yea he'd be handy to our side..
He's not the real deal mate.
He's a good bowler yes, bowling between 80-83Mph. He'd be a useful bowler to have at our disposal...but the bottom line is...we don't. This is why I keep saying to focus on the talent we already have. Ervine, Ireland, Ballance, cya later lads

[eugene]

So now that we have all agreed that Anthony Ireland is the one true saviour of Zimbabwean cricket we need to fill a plane with booze and women and send it to his local airport.