Cricket Ireland has asked the game’s governing body for up to 15 one-day internationals per year as it strives to assert its place as the world’s top Associate nation.

The suggestion of Ireland playing 10-15 ODIs was first mooted last year following the recommendation that the 2015 World Cup be confined to the 10 Test-playing countries. That decision was overturned by the full ICC board at its annual meeting in June and a qualifying league is currently taking place, but outside last year’s World Cup, Ireland have played only three ODIs against Full Members in each of the last two years. At the moment only one, against Australia in Belfast on June 23, is confirmed for this year, although there is the probability of Bangladesh coming to Ireland in the second half of July.

Ireland’s application, expected to be considered favourably as it is the No 1 Associate in all three forms of the game, will be heard at the ICC’s annual conference in June.

Cricket Ireland has also applied for support in establishing a Cricket Academy, both north and south, and in establishing a domestic inter-provincial structure. Three games, one in each of the three major unions, have been pencilled in this season for May, June and August between North and South with the intention of plugging the gap between international and club cricket with “best v best, which is essential for the future growth of the game in Ireland”.

The applications, made last month, were revealed in Dundalk yesterday by CI chief executive Warren Deutrom to the annual meeting which was attended by National Coach Phil Simmons.

The World Twenty20 qualifying trophy, won in Dubai last month, took pride of place and outgoing chairman David Williams and Deutrom both congratulated Simmons and the squad for their efforts which, in the words of the CEO, have gone from “better to better”. 

The new CI chairman is Lurgan’s Ross McCollum, who played three times for Ireland in 1988, and the in incoming president is Jimmy Joyce, sire to the most famous cricketing family in Ireland, including current international Ed and women’s captain Isobel.

The President-elect is former NCU president and current Sunday Life cricket correspondent Robin Walsh.

At the ICC's Executive Board meeting yesterday, they confirmed the next World Twenty20 in 2014 will be a 16-team tournament - with four extra qualifiers from the 16-team tournament to be held in the UAE in October 2013.

For those teams who fail to make the top two in the World Cricket League Championship, they will head to New Zealand in 2014 for the qualifying tournament to decide the final two places at the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The Board also confirmed the schedule for events from 2015-2023 with 16 team World Twenty20 qualifying competitions continuing to be played every year ahead of the biennial finals and there will be 10-team qualifying events in 2018 and 2022 for the 10-team ICC Cricket World Cups in the following years.