Looking for a first-class performance

Ireland once again proved that it is the strongest Associate Member in first-class cricket, with a third consecutive ICC Intercontinental Cup, but did the new format to the competition work? Richard Done, High Performance Manager for the ICC, shares his views.

When the idea of a first-class cricket competition for leading Associate Members was conceived in 2003, the aim of the ICC Intercontinental Cup was to provide a platform for the top countries outside of the Test world to become more competitive in international cricket.

While it is still too early to definitively say whether this has been the case, from a high performance perspective I am delighted at the progress that has so far been made in the four-day format of the game by our Associate Members.

While the primary purpose of the competition has been to expose the leading Associate players to regular four-day cricket, which I believe is vital if you are to become a better player in any format of the game, there are many other benefits that flow from of creating this structure.

It provides a platform for teams to travel internationally to play quality cricket and with good planning combine it with an opportunity to play one-day international cricket against Full Members, as Ireland did earlier this year when they played in the United Arab Emirates in preparation for an ODI series in Bangladesh, and again in October when they joined with Kenya in a tri-series including Zimbabwe.

Now that each country plays each other in a round-robin structure over a two-year cycle there are plenty of opportunities to experience the challenge of playing in different conditions, against different players, and so broaden each players awareness of the game globally.

There is undoubtedly still much work to do in raising standards and helping players prepare for the challenges that are part of playing the longer format of the game.

Too often ball has dominated bat in the 2007-2008 competition and this was also the case for the first three innings in the final at Port Elizabeth. Ireland’s fourth innings effort was an excellent demonstration of the batting qualities needed to be successful in the longer form of the game and they eventually lost only one wicket chasing down a target of over 200 to beat Namibia.

How we address those challenges is an ongoing debate, but one which we are actively seeking to have with our leading Associate Members. We now have structures and processes in place, such as the High Performance Program Forum, which was held in London in late November and brought together Chief Executives and National Coaches from our top-six countries, to collectively address both off-field and on-field issues.

In the past year, much of our focus has been on “getting ready” for the new wave of funding for the Pepsi ICC Development Program, brought about by the broadcast and sponsor contracts of the ICC and ensuring, especially from my viewpoint in the HPP countries, that we have the structures in place to ensure that this money is allocated wisely in strengthening the global game.

With great progress having been made off the field of play, we can now begin to focus even more on on-field areas. Collectively with the National Coaches I will be exploring more and better solutions to raising the HPP countries standard of play and ensuring our performance continues to improve.

We have already begun to plan for the next 27 months through to the World Cup and there will be a renewed effort to look at programs and partnerships that address the areas which will see us perform at a much better level when we get there. There will certainly be a long term focus on developing our knowledge of the sub-continent whether through focusing specifically on skills or looking closer at the mental and lifestyle sides of the game.

It is also clear that we need to continue to work closely with our ICC Full Member countries for them to play a vital role in developing those Associate Members that fall within their region. It is no coincidence that Namibia emerged from outside of the High Performance Program to finish as runners-up in this year’s ICC Intercontinental Cup, on the back of playing in South Africa’s domestic competitions. We need these opportunities to expose players to better competition at both a domestic and international level to continue to grow.

For the next few months the focus will very clearly turn to one-day cricket, with qualification for the four ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 places allocated to Associate and Affiliate Members the priority for all. A fifth or sixth place finish will also be viewed as vitally important as it secures ODI status and a place in the ICC Intercontinental Cup in the 2009-10 competition.

These are exciting times for the developing cricket world and in the changing cricket landscape, the strengthening of the game below Full Members is more important than ever.