(REUTERS) – Ireland’s hopes of competing at the 2015 World Cup were boosted yesterday when the world governing board’s cricket committee recommended a qualifying competition for the 50-over tournament. Last month the International Cricket Council (ICC) said it would restrict the World Cup, which will be staged in Australia and New Zealand, to its 10 Test-playing member nations only.
Fourteen teams, including Ireland who recorded a memorable win over England after beating Pakistan four years earlier, took part in this year’s World Cup.
“The committee resolved to pass on a recommendation to the chief executives’ committee and to the board that they favoured a system of qualification for the World Cup and not making the World Cup restricted to the 10 full members,” ICC general manager Dave Richardson told a news conference at Lord’s.
He said this proposal would give Ireland an opportunity to qualify.