How many steps does one need to take to get from the Irish team set to play Ireland’s 800th match against Bangladesh today to that very first Irish team way back in 1855?

Roy Morgan looks at four challenges currently facing the development of cricket.

Andrew Nixon was less than impressed with Tony Grieg's "Spirit of Cricket" lecture at Lord's this week.

Six years on from the last review of the KNCB's structure a good deal has changed, but the fundamental problems identified then are still impeding progress.

The ICC Executive Board's decisions this weekend open up the possibility, however remote, of real and fundamental change in the governance of cricket.

The forthcoming meeting of the ICC Executive Board is perhaps the most important in the Council's 103-history, argues Rod Lyall, and it is essential that the Woolf report's core recommendations are adopted.

The dependence of some countries on foreign-produced players remains a thorny question, and it is time for a different approach, argues Rod Lyall.

For those who’ve become used to Ireland swatting away countries with their bats, and reaching cricket World Cups, it’s easy to forget just where the sport in Ireland was at the turn of the century.

Currently, they are stuck in the ether: too good for the level they are playing at, yet not permitted into the "cosy club" of Test nations just above them.

There are some positive signs in the outcome of this week's meeting of the ICC Chief Executives' Committee, but the real test of the Woolf report's impact is yet to come.

Afghanistam all-rounder Mohammed Nabi talks about his career and the future of Afghanistan cricket.

The latest attempt to introduce Twenty20 into the USA fails to learn from the lessons of the past.

Thirteeen years of great memories, 200 caps and counting.

Former Scotland Under 19 player Mark Ferguson is hoping to help his adopted country qualify for the T20 World Cup finals.

Why not give Ireland a chance to compete in the Test arena, argues Charlie Morgan.

Implementation in full of the Woolf review team's recommendations is essential if the ICC is to regain its credibility as a global governing body.

In their 60-page, 65-recommendation report Lord Woolf and his review team leave the ICC in little doubt that the existing structures and practices of the Council are in need of radical, far-reaching change.

Jon Coates says that there is so much ambition under the Cricket Ireland umbrella now that the declaration made yesterday was probably inevitable. But this goal is fatally flawed.

The restriction of Test status to Full Member countries should be ended and any ICC member country allowed to play Test cricket, argues Andrew Nixon.

Advocates of a more inclusive approach to cricket's development should not be side-tracked by the idea of an Associate/Affiliate Test team, argues Rod Lyall.

Michael Blumberg argues in favour of an independent Welsh national side in international cricket.

Former Netherlands allrounder Tim de Leede reflects on the current state of Dutch cricket and what is needed for the sport to start growing again.

Is it time for the Associate countries to start thinking outside the box in terms of their fixture schedule?

Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of Cricket Ireland, has spoken of his pride at the Irish success over England during the World Cup, whilst talking about his best memories of 2011 and hopes for 2012.

A much-improved CB40 campaign, four titles for the women and a promising Youth Plan were the best features of Dutch cricket in 2011, but questions remain about how the game is governed.

The heavens might have done their best to rain on Scotland’s parade, but there was no denying that 2011 brought significant strides forward, amidst the showers, for many of Caledonia’s brightest cricketing talents.

David Morgan's proposals for restructuring English domestic cricket, endorsed in principle by the ECB Board on Wednesday, could lead to the Netherlands and Scotland being squeezed out of the one-day competition from 2014.

Only the naïve will believe putting Butt, Asif and Amir behind bars has drawn some sort of ethical line in the sand.

The ICC Executive Board’s decision to make its new One-Day League for Associates and Affiliates part of the World Cup qualifying process is another example of poor governance, both procedurally and in substance.

Andrew Nixon reviews Roy Morgan's book on the Intercontinental Cup and Intercontinental Shield.

When Eoin Morgan walked out onto the green turf of Clontarf, he became the third Irishman to captain England at its national sport.

Malcolm Speed's memoir of his decade as a leading administrator at Cricket Australia and the ICC provides clear evidence of how the game reached its current condition, but largely ignores its global development.

England's squad for the one-off ODI in Dublin is an insult to Irish cricket, which deserves better than a virtual England Lions team.

The reactions of some Irish supporters to Boyd Rankin's England Lions selection are surprising given what it means for the future of Irish cricket. If they are happy for the team to remain a glorified England development side, then the ICC will be delighted to keep them in that role.

The news that Ireland’s Boyd Rankin has been called up by the England Lions should send out a warning signal to the ICC’s emerging countries.

CricketEurope urges Lord Woolf, whom the ICC has appointed to lead its governance review, to recommend fundamental changes to the Council's constitution and voting arrangements.

The decisions made by the ICC Executive Board in Hong Kong last month not only betray the aspirations of the Associate and Affiliate members, but fly in the face of the ICC's own Strategic Plan.

The ICC ranking system will determine 8 of the ten 2019 World Cup teams. Andrew Nixon argues that rankings are a curiosity at best and should, despite the ICC's constant stream of press releases about them, remain just that.

The claim that cutting the next two World Twenty20 tournaments was inevitable to 'balance' the retention of a 14-team World Cup in 2015 is patently nonsense.

A unique statistical feature covering all WCL tournaments since the competition's inception in 2007 os now available online on CricketEurope.

By cutting back on qualification places for the World T20 tournaments while reversing its position on the 2015 World Cup, the ICC Executive Board has again made nonsense of its development policies.

CricketEurope applauds the ICC's decision to revert to a 14 nation World Cup in 2015 but there is now cause for serious concern about their future strategy regarding the Associate and Affiliate countries.

The burning issue for the Associate countries lies in whether the governing body will commit a U-turn and allow the them the chance to qualify for the 2015 World Cup.

In the third and last article of his series, Rod Lyall surveys some of the initiatives which could contribute to a rapid expansion in the numbers of Dutch cricketers -- and raise the game's domestic profile.

The ICC's methods and strategies for Associates cricket would occasionally tax the little grey cells of Hercule Poirot.

The cancellation of Saturday's scheduled North-South match after half the players withdrew raises fundamental questions about the appetite of young Dutch cricketers to make the international grade.

Andrew Nixon reviews Tim Albone's story of how a rag-tag team of refugees from the war-torn nation of Afghanistan came close to reaching the 2011 World Cup.

Roy Morgan on how the ICC's full members have confirmed that they intend the ICC to be no better than a mediaeval guild, setting out to protect themselves and to prevent others from achieving the same rights and privileges.

Argentina national coach Toby Bailey says that the ICC Full Members have destroyed the magic of the World Cup.

Tim Brooks says that is now abundantly clear that the ICC’s decision making process is not aligned with its stated objectives or its role as a governing body representing a global sport.

The ICC have talked about meritocratic pathways in international cricket recently, but seem unwilling to implement them.

Despite Giles Clarke voting for Ireland's exclusion, and Irish county players warned about criticizing the decision on Twitter, the ECB seems now to be in favour of a 2015 qualification tournament.

The real crooks in all of this are the full-member nations who greedily ushered through plans to limit the next World Cup to the Test-playing teams.

The six participating Division Two countries are keeping their heads down for fear of jeopardising their Icup places and funding.

One can't call on the ICC's reasoning to defend the decision because, since their board meeting in Mumbai, they haven't offered any.

Monday's decision by the ICC Executive Board is the most destructive for cricket for half a century, since the game' s then administrators chose to go on Playing with Apartheid, argues Rod Lyall.

Courtesy of Sporting Life, Dave Tickner gives his reaction to the shameful ICC decision.

Dave Liverman says that ICC have turned what was a World Cup into a self-invitational event - a 'Fat Cats Challenge'.

The decision to limit the 2015 World Cup to the ten full members is a disgrace, argues Andrew Nixon.

In the World Cup final at the Wankhede Stadium, the toss had to be redone after confusion due to the noise from the stands.

The ICC is delighted with the 2011 event, but new commercial opportunities beckon with the 2015 version.

As India and Pakistan battled for a place in Saturday's final, Rod Lyall watched the game with a group of students from the two countries in Amsterdam.

Roy Morgan does a statistical analysis of the performance of Associate teams since the inception of the World Cup.

Peter McDermott from Vintage Cricket in New Zealand reflects on the Associates' performances at the World Cup.

This World Cup has exposed the limitations of the ICC's attempts to raise the level of the second-tier countries, and pointed up the need for a change of attitude among the Full members.

As often as it can be wonderful, the Cricket World Cup can be every bit as weird.

The joy of watching Ireland perform so wonderfully this past week has been tinged by the ever-present fear that before the next World Cup some of those heroes in green will be flying a different flag.

ICC launches partnership with Room to Read at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

The ICC's 95 Associate and Affiliate members face an uncertain future in 2011 and beyond as the Full members move to restructure international cricket to their own liking.

Are Argentina hosting the 2012 Under-19 World Cup? And why are some saying that they are?

The confirmation that there will be an eight-team Intercontinental Cup in 2011-12 is welcome, but the High Performance countries' first-class competition remains a challenge - and not only on the field.

Featuring leading coaches Ryan Maron, Andy Moles and Brian McMillan, the two-month Academy will offer a great opportunity to young players from Europe and elsewhere.

Rod Lyall calls upon Haroon Lorgat, ICC Chief Executive and chairman of its Development Committee, to reaffirm the ICC's commitment to its development policies and the structures it has built up over the past decade.

But Regional Development Manager Richard Holdsworth emphasizes that the commitment to the longer forms of the game remains undiminished as the pattern of European tournaments changes.

The Associates and Affiliates may have little power or influence, but there is at least one way in which the ICC's 'wretched of the earth' could put pressure on the Full members over the future of cricket's global development.

West Indies took the title in the ICC Women's Twenty20 Challenge in Potchefstroom while Ireland defeated The Netherlands in the wooden spoon encounter.

The mainstream media were completely silent on the proposal to reduce the cricket world cup to ten teams. But now someone has spoken out against it.

As the ICC restructures international cricket in the interest of the privileged few, the implications for the powerless majority remain uncertain … but far from promising.

ICC confirms that the World Cup will be reduced in 2015, but not in duration or number of matches.

Since the ICC proposal to cut the 2015 World Cup to just 10 teams was announced, much has been revealed about how the sport's governing body operates.

… or rather a nightmare vision of where the powers that be in cricket appear to be taking the game.

What can the Associates' representatives do in the face of the naked power of the Full Members when they demand their own way at the ICC Executive Board next week?

Russell Degnan argues that the ICC's proposals to reduce the size of the World Cup are based on five widely held misconceptions.

Don Lockerbie, USA Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer of the 2007 World Cup, is against narrowing the number of teams in the ICC World Cup while at the same time hoping for even greater expansion of the World Twenty20 beyond the proposed 16 teams.

It may be time for the IOC to reconsider its recognition of the ICC as an International Federation under the Olympic Charter.

A 10 nation, 48 match 2015 World Cup isn’t even a smart short term solution to the obvious problem. Cricket cannot prosper if only one country controls its destiny.

Is elitism so deeply embedded in cricket journalism, as well as cricket administration, that no other media agencies are ready to point out the absurdity and downright injustice of a ‘World Cup’ confined to a small club of self-serving nations?

The proposal to cut the World Cup to ten teams might suggest that the ICC’s High Performance Program is a failure, but that is very far from the truth.

Cricket’s governing body has decided to reduce the number of teams taking part in the 2015 World Cup to 10. Peter Roebuck says that it is an astonishingly short sighted act.

A look at the range of performances that will be eliminated from future World Cups if the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee’s proposals are accepted.

… the ICC decides it is appropriate to reduce its World Cup to a select and chosen few countries.

The suggestion of a ten team World Cup involves abandoning some key promises made in the ICC Strategic Plan 2006-2010.

The ICC's High Performance manager reveals that the ICC has yet to determine the format and schedule for the next edition of the tournament.

Roy Morgan looks at some of the ways in which a ten team World Cup might be organised.

The chief executives of Cricket Scotland and Cricket Ireland have strongly condemned plans by the ICC to reduce the number of participants in the World Cup.

More than two-thirds of voters supported a 16-team World Cup in a poll which the ICC briefly ran on its own website on Thursday. But then they removed the poll!

The proposal to reduce the World Cup to ten participants from 2015 threatens the whole ICC development strategy and may herald the end of the High Performance Program, argues Rod Lyall.

Michael Taylor argues that Ireland should not have given in to ICC's pressure for them to play Intercontinental Cup and ODI matches in Zimbabwe.

Gavin Hamilton brings his Scottish career to an end this weekend hoping to emulate Don Bradman.

An ICC audio interview with newly-elected Vice-President Alan Isaac points to disturbing developments in international cricket, argues Rod Lyall.

THE story of Afghan cricket’s rise from refugee camps to World Cup qualification is a remarkable one.

An article in the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant last week aired batsman Daan van Bunge's grievances over his treatment by the KNCB.

There are era-defining moments in cricket. And with Eoin Morgan's 130 against Pakistan, we may have seen one of them.

Jon Coates on how the dumbfounding scenario of the World Cup going all the way back to 10 teams is on the ICC table and up for debate.

Taj Malik loiters at the zebra crossing on an empty street in Jersey, confronted by an age-old dilemma. To wait for the green man or to take his chances.

Statistically, Gavin Hamilton's tenure as Scotland captain makes for grim reading: seven wins in 30 games in the 20-over, 40-over and 50-over formats.

Dave Langford-Smith talks about his career with Phoenix and Ireland.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting recalls the days when playing Ireland was very much like a village game against amateur cricketers.

Should Scotland follow the example of Ireland and opt out of the English county game?

The "Cricket in America" documentary is an intriguing, yet fatally flawed, look at cricket in the USA.

It may not come as a surprise that the inquiry does not recommend justice for Singapore, but it is nevertheless profoundly disappointing.

Roy Morgan considers how recent top cricketers stand in relation to associate/affiliate cricketers of all time and, in particular,with Bart King, widely regarded as one of the best players never to have played test cricket.

Christine O'Dowd describes the challenges and opportunities facing young New Zealand cricketers on their path to success.

In the concluding part of this series, we examine the transformation in world cricket since the introduction of Associate membership in 1965 - and the rise to power of a bloc of countries led by India.

Even ICC's High Performance Manager Richard Done, the man responsible for bridging the gap between the elite and the aspiring nations, has been amazed by Afghanistan's inexorable rise.

Continuing our account of the development of international cricket, we examine the period from World War II to the introduction of Associate membership of the ICC in 1965.

The strange structures of international cricket are only explicable if one understands something of the ICC's history. In this first of three parts, we look at the situation up to World War Two.

One simple approach to encouraging associate and affiliate countries to meet their aspirations of playing cricket at the highest level would be for the ICC to separate the issue of test status from full membership. Roy Morgan suggests how it might be done.

Without the riot, Singapore would inevitably have finished second in Kathmandu, irrespective of the outcome of the match between Nepal and USA. Here's why.

Rod Lyall argues that the handling of the Kathmandu riot not only destroys the credibility of the ICC's World Cricket League, but gives a licence for crowd misbehaviour anywhere in the world.

A look at the double centuries in international one-day matches that came before Sachin Tendulkar.

The age and make-up of the USA national side does not bode well for the ICC's ambitions in the country.

The scintillating action that unfolded over the five days of the T20 World Cup Qualifier proved once again that non-test cricket has more than its fair share of quality, entertainment and drama.

CricketEurope's panel has made its ten nominations for our Player of the Year accolade. Read all about those ten players and then the final decision is yours!

When we reflect on the 2010’s what will be the success criteria against which progress is judged? James Siviter offers ten suggestions.

There is an interesting discussion emerging about associate/affiliate level nations linking up, eg. Cayman Islands/Bahamas, Guyana/Suriname, Gambia/Senegal etc.

Rod Lyall joins the debate about the elevation of one or more Associate countries to Test status.

The debate over whether Ireland, or indeed any other associate, will ever progress to Test status has brought the Intercontinental Cup competition under the microscope.

The recent articles by Michael Taylor on why Ireland cannot play test cricket raise broader issues. Roy Morgan examines some of them and concludes that ICC needs to lay down a clearly-structured pathway which is well-founded on history.

Cricket Ireland Chief Executive Warren Deutrom responds to some of the points made by Michael Taylor in his recent articles.

The second part of Michael Taylor's analysis of the problems that stand in the way of Ireland becoming a Test-playing country.

The ICC’s commission of a report to highlight the potential of cricket in the USA and China is indicative of opposing factions within the ICC.

Some of our readers have argued that Ireland is ready to play Test Cricket. Michael Taylor believes that their arguments are not sustainable.

The ICC Board heard on Tuesday from its Principal Advisor, IS Bindra, that the Full Members ought to be playing in the USA and China.

If cricket is to be more than a minority sport in Associate and Affiliate nations then it must reach out to the majority.

Noor Ali’s achievement of scoring two separate hundreds in a match and becoming only the fourth to do so on first-class debut can be put in a wider perspective.

Tim Brooks identifies some radical options for how the ICC can help the minnows to continue to make headway against the current.

An open letter to the ICC regarding Kenya being stripped of the Under-19 World Cup.

Edward Liddle reviews the life and times of CB Fry and explodes some of the myths surrounding one of England's finest cricketers.

CricketEurope's team on the spot once again selects the outstanding players of the recent World Cricket League tournament.

New Zealand's young allrounder Tim Southee is interviewed ahead of this week's Tri-Series in Aberdeen.

A review of the performances of the twelve teams in the World Cricket League Division 5 tournament.

CricketEurope selects its squad of outstanding players from the recent tournament in Jersey.

Following Mahaboob Alam's record-breaking ten wickets against Mozambique we take another look back at some other remarkable bowling performances in the non-Test arena.

Irishman Eoin Morgan has embarked on the most important summer of his career as the county circuit creaks back into motion.

Ed Joyce captains the MCC in the 2008 English season opener against champion county Sussex.

A document suggest that more changes may be afoot for international cricket.

Cricket Ireland is still working out how to nurse the inevitable post World Cup come-down, manage a whole new set of expectations and challenges and guard the legacy.

The announcement of the ICC Development Awards will again highlight the gap between the haves and the have-nots in world cricket.

What can ICC's Full Members do to restore confidence in their commitment to the expansion of cricket?

The CEOs of the Test nations have signalled a retreat from the ICC's vision of global cricket expansion.

Moves to cut the number of Associate countries at the next World Cup to four would be a damaging U-turn by the ICC.

Is the ICC's four day global competition now causing more problems than those it was originally intended to solve?

View our Google Earth presentations featuring international grounds in the leading non-Test countries.