THE stone-throwing Nepal public, not the cricketers, helped their team to promotion from Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Five in February, and the ICC have concluded they is nothing they can do until they amend the rules.

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The ICC have published their report into the day when the unruliness of the 12,000 crowd affected the match between Nepal and United States in Kathmandu. The suspension of play at Tribhuvan University for 48 minutes and recalculation of the run target led directly to Nepal pipping Singapore to promotion that day by 0.004 on run-rate.

The Singapore Cricket Association complained immediately after they realised there had been an unfair influence in the round-robin tournament, but the ICC investigation panel said they found no reason to change the final placings or impose sanctions. There was no remedy for retrospective justice within the rules.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said the decision was a "most unfortunate outcome" for Singapore and added: "While everyone agrees that this was a regrettable incident and one which we do not want to see repeated, there is no justifiable basis to promote Singapore, and such temptation would create a dangerous precedent to the integrity of competition and the playing regulations."

Really? Brick, rock and stone throwing by a hostile Nepal crowd turned the competition on its head. Singapore would have been home and dry without the shortening of the match due to action beyond the boundary. Unfortunately for Singapore the panel found no way of administering natural justice. Suspending Nepal from the next Division Four tournament and allowing Singapore to fill the gap might have been one way, but this did not form part of the investigation remit. 

Players could have been killed, according to the tournament referee, and they had to shelter in the pavilion. So why would it be a "dangerous precedent" to prevent a crowd from influencing the outcome of a competition? In fact the ICC panel did indeed consider the crowd action to be a dangerous precedent because their report made recommendations that sanctions be introduced in the future.

The panel members were David Richardson (ICC general manager of cricket), David Becker (ICC head of legal) and Ravi Sawani (general manager of the Anti Corruption and Security Unit). The ICC said that the scope of the investigation, based on the complaints and concerns raised initially by the Singapore Cricket Association, included:

(a) Conduct of the match officials during the match;

(b) Conduct of the event technical committee;

(c) Computation of the net run rate and the argument of ‘unfair advantage’ lodged by SCA;

(d) Alleged breaches of security policy on the part of Cricket Association of Nepal ;

(e) Allegations of possible corruption in the match

Only the argument of unfair advantage was really relevant. Apart from crowd control, the match day was run faultlessly, and the ICC said in a press release: "The inquiry found no evidence to support the claims of the Singapore Cricket Association, but made recommendations that the proposed Mandatory Safety Standards, being introduced by the ICC Security Task Force, considers including sanctions against the home board when the home crowd interrupts a match or a home crowd interrupts a match such that the home team benefits."

After the crowd incidents the Cricket Association of Nepal agreed to hold no further international cricket at the university venue until certain remedial measures were carried out. These measures included reconstruction of the boundary wall that supplied the stones thrown by members of the crowd.

The match on Feb 26 went badly for Nepal, who could afford to lose -- but not too badly. The Americans were cruising at 150-5 off 32 overs in pursuit of the home total of 162-9 when the trouble erupted. Play did not restart for 48 minutes and, as per the playing regulations, the United States target was recalculated according to the Duckworth-Lewis Method to 157 off 46 overs. Nepal knew that delaying an inevitable defeat by one or two balls would be enough to protect their run-rate. The United States duly won to become champions and Nepal grabbed second place ahead of Singapore, who won easily elsewhere on the same day.

Full ICC report:

http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/newsdetails.php?newsId=10194_1273407480

Match report: Scroll down to 'Americans caught in Nepal riot scare'

http://www.charlierandallcricket.com/blogcontrol.asp?showblog=1&blogID=1&blog1topicid=10

THE SALE of two further franchises at Pune and Kochi for a combined price of $703 million for an eight-year term has underlined the fact that the Indian Premier League is here to stay. This is fine while the Board of Control for Cricket in India does remain in 'control', but the landscape will change soon.

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In 2012 the IPL is due to become a public company and the whole concept will become more aggressive. There were five bidders for the latest franchises and they were all described as "very high quality" by the IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.

The Pune franchise was bought by Sahara Adventure Sports Group for $370 million. This western town is quite close to Bombay where Mumbai Indians were bought by Reliance Industries for $112.9 million two years ago, the most expensive of the eight 10-year franchises that formed the inaugural IPL. One can easily assume that all franchises have at least tripled in value, and this fire-breathing dragon could eventually destroy cricket's structure. The IPL  needs to show it has lasting value to enhance the game, not destroy it.

Most of the franchises, perhaps all, make a profit in view of the television interest and large stadium crowds that boost merchandising income. The franchises share 72 per cent of the broadcasting rights, which have topped $1,000 million. If the IPL becomes a public corporation as planned, the circuit is bound to expand and overlap with seasons in other countries, causing friction that will not be oiled by altruism. The good of the game of cricket will not feature in the thinking.

It will be interesting to see how many viewers ITV4 will attract in the afternoon for their daily IPL matches. If the figures seem healthy, the ECB will have some data to tempt future terrestrial coverage of games from the English circuit. However, as the ECB are currently arguing strongly that a Sky monopoly is the only route to survival, ITV's interest in cricket comes at an inconvenient time.

There are drawbacks to the IPL, clearly a credible rival in world-wide appeal to Premier League football. The Twenty20 format is not actually ideal for television because the ball flies all over the place, forcing frequent camera switches. Unlike longer matches, the short format allows the highest quality players only a short time on view.

Most viewers are not particularly bothered which Indian team wins unless perhaps they are Asian, and the action can be crippled by bursts of gormless commentary. Hyperbole comes tumbling out -- "there it goes, waaaaay into the crowd" -- and the words are too often waaaay over the top. After all, sixes are not uncommon.

No one should be surprised at the success of the T20 format because, after all, cricket took root in the 18th and 19th Century as a game of coloured clothing and violent hitting with curved bat against underarm bowling. Matches were quite short and sweet, and betting was an important element among the crowds that attended. It was not cricket's fault that an age of elegance, close-mown pitches and over-arm bowling changed the game's earthy character.

Test cricket is bound to decline in importance, especially on the subcontinent, in the West Indies and probably in Southern Africa. Big-money 20-over leagues offer a big draw, despite the ICC's laudable determination to hang on to the status quo. The MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw sees a future with fewer teams and players involved in Test cricket, coinciding with a near-doubling of international T20 sides in five years' time.

Writing in the April issue of The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Bradshaw said: "I consider myself optimistic, but it isn’t difficult to look ahead and see the pessimists’ apocalyptic version of the future of the game, where Tests are virtually redundant, Twenty20 saturates and players are globe-trotting mercenaries."

He continued: "We know several players have already forgone playing Tests to prolong more lucrative Twenty20 careers, but I believe the more covert long-term problem will be that young players will be schooled purely in the Twenty20 game and be unable to adapt to the demands of cricket played over three, four and five days. The transition from Test to Twenty20 cricket is much easier than the other way round, and the result could be far fewer players capable of playing five-day cricket."

Bradshaw said that while Test cricket remained the pinnacle of the game its position should not be taken for granted. "We have a warped sense of the well-being of Tests in England because they attract good crowds. Yet there is a real danger that the format could become the preserve of four or five countries unless efforts are made to reinstate a fairer balance between bat and ball, to work alongside rather than against Twenty20 competitions to ensure players do not have to choose between playing for their country and their club, and to attract new audiences.

"Twenty20 could sound the death knell for Test cricket, but it could also prove to be the perfect vehicle for the expansion of the game into other countries. The shorter the game, the greater the leveller and Twenty20 is an excellent pathway into the elite fold – just think of the fairy-tale qualification of Afghanistan for this year’s World Twenty20."

Looking ahead he said: "I firmly believe the next big step will be the growth of cricket in the United States and it’s not unrealistic to think there could be 20 countries capable of playing competitive Twenty20 cricket within the next five years – surely something to celebrate."

The April issue of The Wisden Cricketer celebrated Sachin Tendulkar’s historic one-day double century against South Africa by featuring the India maestro on the front cover. This sort of innings cannot exist in T20.

www.thewisdencricketer.com

AN investigation is to be held by the ICC into the events surrounding the Pepsi ICC World League Division Five match between Nepal and United States, which was interrupted by an unruly crowd at the Tribhuvan University ground in Kathmandu last week.

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Rocks and bottles were thrown on to the outfield, and the time lost on the suspended play, adjusted by Duckworth Lewis method, allowed Nepal to pip Singapore for promotion on net run-rate by a tiny fraction -- in fact by two balls. If the United States had taken two balls fewer to seal their five-wicket win to top the table, Nepal would have missed the two promotion slots.

The ICC will investigate firstly whether the event technical committee correctly applied and interpreted the tournament regulations and, secondly, the nature of the security breach at the ground. Imran Khwaja, the chairman of the Singapore Cricket Association, said: "I have spoken with the ICC and I am satisfied with the course of action that they are pursuing."

CRICKET won this time. The final of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Five tournament in Kathmandu lodged in the memory for seven wickets by a 17 year-old left-arm spinner as Nepal defeated United States by five wickets. The ugly crowd scenes from the previous day were not repeated.

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The attendance at Tribhuvan University, the only international-quality ground in Nepal, again swelled to at least 12,000, but the match lacked tension, with both teams safely promoted. The Americans collapsed to 172 all out as Rahul Vishvakarma took 7-15 in 8.2 overs to punish a series of wild shots.

Nepal deserved success, but the fact remains that they would probably not have qualified for promotion if the Friday match had not been suspended due to crowd hooliganism. By the time it was safe for the Americans to resume and knock off the remaining runs for victory, with rocks and bottles cleared from the outfield, four overs had been deducted under Duckworth Lewis. Though this made no difference to the result, it affected Nepal's net run-rate. If the seven winning runs had taken seven balls, Singapore would have finished ahead. In fact the Americans faced nine balls, allowing Nepal to claim second place by the slimmest of fractions. It left a sour taste.

In the final Vishvakarma was the third left-arm spinner used as the United States made a formidable start through Orlando Baker, with 49, and the captain Steve Massiah (55). When the student switched to over the wicket, the match changed dramatically, and a score of 141 for two in the 36th over became a heap of rubble as Vishvakarma took seven wickets for three in his next five overs.

Baker was run out going for a second run, and the fun started when Massiah was held by Shakti Gauchan with a brilliant diving catch from a sliced drive. After that, further good catches were taken and everything the Americans did turned to dust. The total offered a comfortable target for the Nepalese in reply, allowing the crowd to acclaim their heroes. This time the riot police had little to do.

Jersey defeated their fellow relegated opponents Fiji in the last place play-off to finish a disappointing fifth.

Final, at Tribhuvan University:

United States 172, 47.2 overs (Steve Massiah 55, Orlando Baker 49, Rahul Vishvakarma 7-15)

Nepal 175-5, 46.5 overs (Anil Mandal 37)

Nepal won by five wickets

RIOT police moved in to subdue an angry 12,000 crowd as a sensational match between Nepal and the United States was interrupted by rock-throwing in Kathmandu today.

======STOP SUMMARY=====

The Americans needed a convincing win against the host nation to snatch one of the two promotion slots in the final match of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Five round robin tournament, and during the afternoon the realisation quickly spread that such a result could push table leaders Nepal into third place.

As the United States closed in on their required victory by five wickets, the enormous crowd at the Tribhuvan University ground grew restless. There seemed to be no particular flash point, but fighting started among spectators. Rubbish, rocks and stones were thrown on to the outfield, forcing play to be suspended for 45 minutes.

Nepal, a strong side captained by Paras Khadka, had been restricted to 162 for nine in their 50 overs, with former Guyana seamer Kevin Darlington taking three wickets, but the crowd became elated when the United States slipped to 84 for four in reply. Then the atmosphere turned ugly when batsman Sushil Nadkarni launched a counter-attack, hitting four sixes in his final score of 57 in 59 balls.

Peter Della Penna, a journalist for the American website dreamcricket.com, witnessed the intimidating climax to the game, fearing that a full-scale riot was about to break out as spectators began pouring out the ground. He thought he could see tear gas being used.

"The riot police are trying to keep fans from coming on to the field," Della Penna reported on the dreamcricket run-of-play blog. "Mayhem here. Absolute mayhem and it's quite scary. The players have all left the field. Rocks, big ones, are being thrown onto the pitch. I've never seen 12,000-13,000 people sprint out of a stadium setting so fast in my entire life. Very scary here for a good 10 minutes. There are rocks everywhere on the field. Both teams were rushed into their dressing rooms."

The chaotic scenes abated after a while, and members of the local media and riot police officers took wheelbarrows around the outfield and picked up all the rocks and stones and other objects. "This is an absolutely surreal and bizarre scene here at Tribhuvan University," Della Penna said before play resumed with the United States on 150 for five in 32 overs, needing 13 to win, a total target later adjusted to 159 on Duckworth Lewis.

There were more "wild scenes" when the winning runs were hit, though the Americans were denied proper celebration. When the bench started to come out to welcome the two undefeated batsmen, more rocks were heaved from behind the pavilion dressing rooms. "The players are told to stay out on the field as the people in the dressing rooms are ushered back in," Della Penna said. Even Nepal's players had to make a dash to safety.

Promotion had been a close-run issue, the United States reaching their target with less than two overs to spare to improve their run-rate enough to overtake Singapore, who were pushed back to third after demolishing Jersey and relegating them to Division Six. As it turned out, Nepal did achieve promotion in second place, and the ICC will be keeping their fingers crossed when Nepal meet United States again at the university in less pressured circumstances on Saturday to decide the champions...

THE trip to Nepal has proved to be a thoroughly unrewarding exercise for Jersey from a cricket point of view. The scenery might be fine, but their performances in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Five declined with each day, and this time they were overwhelmed by Arabian chinamen in the Himalayas.

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Their fourth match ended in a third consecutive defeat when they lost by 27 runs to Bahrain at the Army Ground in Baktapur after once again wasting a good position. Bahrain lost their seventh wicket on 170 with exactly 10 overs remaining, with the Jersey bowlers sharing the wickets -- but Qamar Saeed, with 50 off 57 balls, and Tahir Dar, 44 off 34 balls, piled on 94 withut being parted.

Bahrain, one of the lesser cricketing Arab emirates, produced a 50-over total of 264-7 that was too high to be challenged, and that man Saeed popped up again with his left-arm wrist spin, his chinamen taking 6-33 to round off a memorable day. Jersey's captain Ryan Driver top-scored with 80, but his side's chances disappeared when he was run out. Jersey were bowled out in the 47th over for 237.

Singapore beat the United States by 99 runs to draw level with them in the points table behind the leaders Nepal. The former Guyana seamer Kevin Darlington took four wickets for the Americans, but little went right otherwise. Two teams will be promoted to Division Four with one round of matches remaining.

At Tribhuvan University:

Nepal 267-7, 50 overs (Sherad Versawkar 105*, Pras Khadka 75)

Fiji 74 all out, 26.4 overs (Basant Regmi 4-11)

Nepal won by 193 runs

At Army Ground, Baktapur:

Bahrain 264-7, 50 overs (Qamar Saeed 50*, Tahir Dar 44*)

Jersey 237, 46.5 overs (Ryan Driver 80, Dean Morrison 49, Qamar Saeed 6-33)

Bahrain won by 27 runs

At Engineering Ground:

Singapore 245-9, 50 overs (Narender Reddy 51, Pramodh Raju 45, Kevin Darlington 4-65)

United States 146 all out, 37.5 overs (Steve Massiah 50, Jackie Manoj-Kumar 4-23)

Singapore won by 99 runs

JERSEY seemed to have the United States in their grip, but a stunning turn-around ended in a 66-run defeat for the Channel Islanders at the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Five tournament in Nepal.

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This second loss in Kathmandu almost guaranteed Jersey could not achieve promotion this year, with the Americans and Nepal out in front with three wins in three games. Events at Tribhuvan University looked like being so different when the United States slipped to 55-5 after a great spell by Ryan Driver, the Jersey captain.

Jersey must have felt confident of repeating their league win of 2008, but a sixth-wicket partnership of 118 between Carl Wright, with 76, and Aditya Thyagarajan, undefeated with 83, changed the picture. Then an electrifying display by Rashard Marshall -- five sixes in a 21-ball innings of 42 not out -- took the game right away. The Gough off-spin twins were roughly treated, with Jonathan conceding 58 off his nine overs after an early wicket and Peter going for 60 in eight wicketless overs.

The Americans' 50-over score 253-6 on an awkward pitch was always likely to be too many. Though Dean Morrison and Samuel de la Haye showed good form all too briefly, no batsman could find the big innings required. The former Guyana off-spinner Lennox Cush, with 4-37, sealed victory for his side.

Man of the match Wright had to leave the field early due to a finger injury sustained while keeping wicket. He said: "I’m delighted – it was a real team effort to achieve the victory. The pitch was difficult to bat on, so I aimed to occupy the crease for as long as possible and eventually it paid off for me. The situation called for that type of innings."

Fog delayed the start of play between Nepal and Bahrain at the Army Ground in Baktapur, a game which ended with an easy eight-wicket win for the hosts, their captain Paras Khadka hitting 71 not out.

Singapore slipped to 106-7 while chasing Fiji's total of 194, but 94 not out by Monish Arora squeezed out a two-wicket win with 14 balls to spare. That meant Singapore, Division Six champions, could still achieve back-to-back promotions.

At Army Ground:

Bahrain 114 all out, 42.5 overs, 47 overs per side (Basant Regmi 4-11, Sanjam Regmi 3-18)

Nepal 115-2, 22.5 overs (Paras Khadka 71*)

Nepal won by eight wickets

At Tribhuvan University:

United States 253-6, 50 overs (Aditya Thyagarajan 83*, Carl Wright 76, Rashard Marshall 42*)

Jersey 187-9, 50 overs (Dean Morrison 36, Samuel de la Haye 36; Lennox Cush 4-37, Saurabh Verma 3-19)

United States won by 66 runs.

At Engineering Ground:

Fiji 194 all out, 48.5 overs (Josefa Rika 32, Sevoke Ravoka 30; Pramodh Raja 4-26)

Singapore 198-8, 47.4 overs (Monish Arora 94*; Sakaraia Lomani 3-33)

Singapore won by two wickets

NEPALESE television broadcast live Jersey's nine-wicket win over Fiji in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Five tournament in Kathmandu.

======STOP SUMMARY=====

After their disappointing defeat by Nepal on the opening day Jersey could not afford to miss out against probably the weakest nation, and they bowled Fiji out for 120 in 36.2 overs at Tribhuvan University, with Ben Stevens taking two wickets for 11 in an all-round team effort. Fiji's top scorers were Sekove Ravoka, Tikovanualevu Kida and veteran player Iniasi Cakacaka, each making 25, before Mathew Hague and Dean Morrison, in 53 balls, hit quick-fire fifties in reply.

Hague, who recently came out of retirement, said: "It was an important game for us to win. The first thing we have to do is get a couple of wins under our belt and ensure that we do stay in Division Five."

Fiji's coach Steve Jenkin reflected on his side’s second loss of the tournament: "It’s a bit early for in-depth reflections, but we were set up to score 250 plus and unfortunately we weren’t patient enough to get those runs and lost wickets too quickly. Our guys want to hit every ball – they aren’t showing the patience to stay there. We need to change that approach in our future games."

Nepal defeated Division Six champions Singapore by 16 runs in front of a crowd of more than 2,500 high-spirited home fans who had flocked to the University Ground. All-rounder Basanta Regmi put in a shining all-round performance for the Nepalese with a hard-fought innings of 54 and bowling figures of 2-33 while Sanjam Regmi, no relation, took 4-28. Former Singapore Under-19 batsman Anish Param top-scored for the losers with 41.

Lennox Cush, 35, the former Guyana off-spin all-rounder, who switched to American residency in 2006, shone for the United States in a 19-run win over Bahrain at the Army Ground. Cush smashed 11 fours and two sixes in making his 91, with his captain Steve Massiah adding a gritty 67. The former Pakistan seam-bowler Mohsin Kamal, Bahrain's coach, said: "We still have another three matches and a 50-50 chance of qualifying. The USA have already won two matches and we don’t mind if they win all their matches. We just need to win our last three matches and we will try our best."

At Tribhuvan University:

Fiji 122 all out, 36.2 overs (Ravoka 25, Kida 25, Cakacaka 25; Stevens 2-11, Hague 2-26, Driver 2-33)

Jersey 123-1, 20.3 overs (Morrison 52, Hague 52; Cakacaka 1-47)

Jersey won by nine wickets

At Army Ground:

United States 273-6, 50 overs (Cush 91, Massiah 67; Zaheer 3-48)

Bahrain 254 all out, 48.4 overs (Sajjad 75, Majeed 47; Allen 2-30, Cush 2-44, Baker 2-44)

United States won by 19 runs

At Engineering Ground:

Nepal 180-9, 50 overs (B Regmi 54, Vesawkar 32; Mulewa 3-34)

Singapore 164 all out, 47.5 overs (Param 41; S Regmi 4-28, B Regmi 2-33)

Nepal won by 16 runs.

JERSEY, captained by the former Worcestershire all-rounder Ryan Driver, lost their opening match in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division Five tournament when host nation Nepal beat them by six wickets in the Kathmandu valley.

======STOP SUMMARY=====

Jersey had no answer to Nepal's captain and man of the match Paras Khadka, who hit an impressive 69 off 66 balls as his team sailed home with 12 overs to spare in pursuit of Jersey's total of 174 all out at the Army Ground in Baktapur, about nine miles outside Kathmandu city.

Electing to bat first, Jersey never got to grips with the Nepal bowling, and opener Dean Morrison, with 62 off 112 balls, lacked support, apart from Samuel de la Haye's 38. The batting crumbled after Morrison’s departure, bowled out with more than five overs of the 50 allocation unused.

Driver said: "I’m obviously disappointed today and would have liked to have made it to the full 50 overs. All credit to Nepal and especially their captain for a good all-round performance. We need to pick ourselves up and take tomorrow as a new game and focus on winning against Fiji."

Division Six winners and runners-up, Singapore and Bahrain, went head-to-head at the Tribhuvan University Ground in front of a lively crowd, and Singapore, coached by former Sri Lanka batsman Marvan Atapattu, came out victorious with a 126-run win in a match that was broadcast live on Nepal national television.

Having won the toss, Singapore elected to bat and posted a decent target of 224-8 in 50 overs. Wicketkeeper and opening batsman Chetan Suryawanshi made an impressive 54. His captain Munish Arora and his vice-captain Buddika Mendis made 33 and 39 respectively.

Atapattu commented: "Playing in front of live television cameras is one thing, but playing in front of large crowds is a another thing here as you don’t get too many people watching cricket back home in Singapore. I hope that they will continue to enjoy it, especially when we play Nepal."

At the Engineering Ground the United States made a huge total of 353-8 against Fiji, inspired by their captain Steve Massiah with 74. Fiji collapsed to 68 all out in 28.2 overs.

At Army Ground:

Jersey 174 all out, 44.5 overs (Morrison 62, De La Haye 38; Regmi 2-24)

Nepal 176-4, 38 overs (Khadka 69, Vesawkar 33; Driver 2-24)

Nepal won by six wickets

At Tribhuvan University:

Singapore 224-8, 50 overs (Suryawanshi 54, Mendis 39; Hanif 3-40)

Bahrain 98 all out, 33.3 overs (Hanif 26, Dar 21; Manoj-Kumar 3-15, Param 3-7)

Singapore won by 126 runs

At Engineering Ground:

United States 353-8, 50 overs (Massiah 74, Marshall 61, Cush 50, Baker 46; Dabea 4-84)

Fiji 68 runs, 28.2 overs (Dabea 13 not out; Darlington 3-9, Awan 3-16)

United States won by 285 runs

IRELAND'S prospects of joining the circle of Test countries look even better with their qualification alongside Afghanistan for the World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies this summer

======STOP SUMMARY=====

Presence in the Caribbean on April 30-May 16 gives the Irish another chance to defeat a Test country, as they did during the 2007 World Cup in Jamaica, where they upset Pakistan. This time in the shorter format they join England and the West Indies in a group.

Ireland’s formal expression of intent to apply for Full or Enhanced Membership of the ICC was put on hold at the February meeting in Dubai. The ICC announced that the board were opting for a three-step process recommended by the governance review committee, starting with a review of categories of membership. "When that work has been completed and consideration has been given to the process for dealing with applications, Cricket Ireland’s application for Full or Enhanced Membership of the ICC will be formally considered," a statement said.

Ireland finished as runners-up to Afghanistan in the qualifying tournament, having beaten Holland in the all-important semi-final. The Afghans, after eliminating United Arab Emirates, won the final by eight wickets. Afghanistan's victory in the final was their fourth win over the Irish this winter.

On the opening day Afghanistan made Ireland pay a heavy price for sloppy fielding and mediocre batting in a comfortable 13-run Group victory. The Irish dropped no fewer than half a dozen catches, then slipped from 52-1 to 78-5 in their 140-run chase and finally failed to finish off the game when requiring 16 runs off the last 11 balls with three wickets standing.

Afghanistan beat undoubtedly the best Associate side in the 50-over format, winning their World Cup Qualifier 2009 game in South Africa by 22 runs at Krugersdorp. Then they won the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match by seven wickets in Dambulla in January. This was a surprise as the Irish were champions and very adept in first class cricket.

Afghanistan have turned themselves into candidates for the big step upwards, despite the shambolic state of their domestic cricket during the Taliban war. Reports often suggest that the Taliban hindered the game, but the war itself is to blame. Cricket is just about the only leisure activity that has been endorsed by all governments in this ravaged country.

Apparently most of the Afghan international players are full-time professionals, and all their successes, including promotions through the ICC world leagues, have been rapturously received back home. The passion for cricket is undeniable, and one suspects they will be level with Bangladesh within the next couple of years.

One obstacle is a lack of cricket and exposure to foreign teams outside the ICC umbrella. In Kabul, for example, there is only one turf pitch, and terrorist bombs have made internal travel dangerous. There is no chance of playing matches against incoming teams on home soil, and tours abroad to countries such as England and Australia seem bound to run into visa problems.

Five players from the Afghanistan Under-19 squad, in Toronto for the junior world cup qualifying tournament last October, disappeared into the local expatriate community presumably to live illegally in Canada. Indeed a couple of players were later spotted at nets in Montreal.

A weakened Afghan side competed in the Under-19 World Cup at Christchurch in January and finished last out of 16 countries. The New Zealand government were reluctant to issue visas and probably would have barred them if it had not been an ICC event. All countries had to surrender their passports during the tournament and the Afghans were closely monitored by the immigration authorities.

In the final week immigration officials followed all players during leisure hours, and the final match in Napier was switched overnight from Nelson Park to McLean Park, apparently because McLean was enclosed and therefore more secure. The behaviour of the Toronto absconders has made travel more difficult than it should be for subsequent Afghan teams.

The senior Afghanistan side will be in a group with India (St Lucia) and South Africa (Barbados). The final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium was watched by a crowd of about 6,000, the vast majority of whom extremely vocal in their support for Afghanistan.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat congratulated both sides on the quality of their cricket. "Judging by what I have seen during this tournament," he said, "they will give some of the Full Members more than a few awkward moments during the event. One of the memorable aspects of this event has been the passionate support that Afghanistan and indeed other teams have attracted to this wonderful stadium in Dubai. It has been fantastic to see so many people at Associate and Affiliate cricket matches, and it completely surpassed our expectations."

Ireland, captained by the Gloucestershire batsman William Porterfield, are more familiar participants at this level, having competed in the ICC World Twenty20 in England in the 2009 summer and in the 2007 World Cup. But they were definitely second-best against Afghanistan in The Gulf, losing to them twice.

Player of the Tournament: Alex Cusack (Ireland)

FINAL

Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City:

Ireland 142-8, 20 overs (Nowroz Mangal 3-23; Niall O’Brien 28, Alex Cusack 28)

Afghanistan 147-2, 17.3 overs (Mohammad Shahzad 65*, Karim Sadiq 34)

Afghanistan won by eight wickets

SUPER FOURS

Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City:

UAE 100-9, 20 overs (Saqib Ali 24; Mohammad Nabi 3-17, Mirwais Ashraf 2-15, Hamid Hassan 2-21)

Afghanistan 101-6, 19.3 overs (Noor Ali 38*, Asghar Stanikzai 26; Fayyaz Ahmed 2-14, Silva 2-14)

Afghanistan won by four wickets

Ireland 151-6, 20 overs (Alex Cusack 65, Gary Wilson 29; Mark Jonkman 2-21)

Holland 86 all out, 15.3 overs (Ryan ten Doeschate 32; George Dockrell 4-20, Trent Johnston 2-14, Peter Connell 2-21)

Ireland won by 65 runs

Afghanistan 128-9, 20 overs (Raees Ahmadzai 28; Mark Jonkman 2-23)

Holland 132-6, 18.5 overs (Alexei Kervezee 39; Mohammad Nabi 3-23)

Holland won by four wickets

Ireland 152-7, 20 overs (Niall O’Brien 46; Qadar Nawaz 3-23, Saqib Ali 2-27)

UAE 130 all out, 19.1 overs (Saqib Ali 63; Alex Cusack 3-19, Andre Botha 2-21, Peter Connell 2-30)

Ireland won by 22 runs

Group A

Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi:

Afghanistan 131-7, 20 overs (Noor Ali 42, Mohammad Shahzad 30; Kyle Coetzer 3-25, Gordon Drummond 2-14)

Scotland 119-9, 20 overs (Neil McCallum 38, Gavin Hamilton 32; Hamid Hassan 3-32, Mohammad Nabi 2-27)

Afghanistan won by 14 runs

Ireland 202-4, 20 overs (Niall O’Brien 84, Alex Cusack 46, William Porterfield 45; Timroy Allen 2-29)

United States 124-6, 20 overs (Aditya Thyagarajan 72 not out; Peter Connell 4-14, Trent Johnston 2-17)

Ireland won by 78 runs

Afghanistan 131-7, 20 overs (Noor Ali 42, Mohammad Shahzad 30; Kyle Coetzer 3-25, Gordon Drummond 2-14)

Scotland 119-9, 20 overs (Neil McCallum 38, Gavin Hamilton 32; Hamid Hassan 3-32, Mohammad Nabi 2-27)

Afghanistan won by 12 runs

Ireland 202-4, 20 overs (Niall O’Brien 84, Alex Cusack 46, William Porterfield 45; Timroy Allen 2-29)

United States 124-6, 20 overs (Aditya Thyagarajan 72 not out; Peter Connell 4-14, Trent Johnston 2-17)

Ireland won by 78 runs

Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City:

Scotland 120-7, 20 overs (Gavin Hamilton 41; Kevin Darlington 2-19)

United States 121-4, 19.1 overs (Carl Wright 62, Lennox Cush 41; Ryan Watson 2-10)

United States won by six wickets 

Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi:

Afghanistan 139-8, 20 overs (Mohammad Nabi 43*, Noor Ali 42; Trent Johnston 2-18, Andre Botha 2-25)

Ireland 126 all out, 19.2 overs (William Porterfield 35, Paul Stirling 21; Karim Sadiq 3-21, Hamid Hassan 2-19, Mohammad Nabi 2-25)

Afghanistan won by 13 runs

Group B

Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City:

Canada 138-9, 20 overs (Ashish Bagai 36, Rizwan Cheema 32, Geoff Barnett 30; Nehemiah Odhiambo 3-16, Jimmy Kamande 2-18)

Kenya 141-1, 14.5 overs (Alex Obanda 79, Steve Tikolo 50*)

Kenya won by nine wickets

Holland 164-8, 20 overs (Daan van Bunge 76; Qasim Zubair 5-26)

UAE 168-4, 18.5 overs (Naeemuddin Aslam 60*, Khurram Khan 52*)

UAE won six wickets

Canada 138-9, 20 overs (Ashish Bagai 36, Rizwan Cheema 32, Geoff Barnett 30; Nehemiah Odhiambo 3-16, Jimmy Kamande 2-18)

Kenya 141-1, 14.5 overs (Alex Obanda 79, Steve Tikolo 50*)

Kenya won by nine wickets

Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi:

UAE 165-5, 20 overs (Arfan Haider 59, Saqib Ali 31, Khurram Khan 28; Lameck Onyango 2-32, Nelson Odhiambo 2-33)

Kenya 150-5, 20 overs (Collins Obuya 42*, Maurice Ouma 39; Ahmed Raza 2-17, Shadeep Silva 2-25)

UAE won by 15 runs

Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai Sports City

Canada 142-7, 50 overs (Ian Billcliffe 37, Geoff Barnett 36; Peter Seelaar 2-18)

Holland 146-4, 19.1 overs (Alexei Kervezee 39, Bas Zuiderent 39*)

Holland won by six wickets