CRICKET: Ireland will have the opportunity to qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championship, which will take place in South Africa next year, reports James Fitzgerald.

The championship will include all 10 Test-playing nations plus the two best Associate ICC members at the World Cricket League in Kenya next February.

If Ireland get to the final of that competition they will win a place in the Twenty20 World Championship.

The other countries involved in the top division of that tournament in Kenya next year are Bermuda, Canada, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland.

The president of the ICC, Percy Sonn, welcomed the announcement:

"This decision gives an added context to the World Cricket League and provides our leading Associate sides with a massive incentive in Kenya," he said.

"The two teams that qualify will have an opportunity to showcase themselves on both a national and global level, something that should provide a massive boost for their own development programmes.

"We are looking forward to a world-class tournament in South Africa that will capture the cricketing public's imagination," he added.

"Twenty20 cricket has been a huge success wherever it has been played and this short and sharp event of just nine playing days will provide a global focus for the new format," said Sonn.

The dates, venues and format of the competition have not yet been announced.

Ireland will be taking part in the ICC Cricket World Cup finals in the West Indies next March having qualified at the ICC Trophy held in Ireland last year.