Cricket Column: In the wake of Ireland's six-wicket defeat to Northamptonshire on Sunday in the C&G Trophy, captain Jason Molins and his players will probably have learned more from that disappointment than they did from the joyous victory over Surrey in the previous round.
They learned how to salvage an innings from the brink of disaster - Jeremy Bray, Peter Gillespie and especially Andrew White turned things around for the Irish when it looked like they were stumbling towards an embarrassingly low total.
The failure of the Irish opening bowlers to put the ball in the right areas taught them how not to defend a total of 263 off 50 overs in Castle Avenue and how important it is to exert pressure from the very first ball.
And the professional and competitive attitude of Northants reminded them that, above all else, the English county sides regard Ireland as nothing more or less than another team that has to be beaten. As Northants coach Kepler Wessels flew back to Wantage Road yesterday, it's unlikely that he was thinking how he could encourage Irish cricket so it could flourish in the future - in fact, it would be surprising if he gave Irish cricket another thought at all.
For this reason, as Ireland look to the future and, specifically, qualification for the World Cup in 2007, it would be foolish to think that the English counties are going to go out of their way to help us along that route. And with several Irish players currently contracted with English counties, the short to medium-term future of Irish cricket could be in their hands. If it is allowed to be.
If players were not released by their counties to play in the ICC Trophy next July, it would mean that cricketers of the calibre of Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan, Boyd Rankin (all Middlesex), Niall O'Brien (Kent) and Adrian McCoubrey (Essex) would not be available for selection and Ireland's chances dented accordingly.
Even though the counties involved are not subject to any sanction if they refuse to allow their Irish players to play, they are unlikely to jeopardise future signings by being seen as the bad guys in the debate of club versus country.
What could happen, however, is that while officially the counties would give the ICC Trophy their blessing, a quiet word may be had in the ears of players, suggesting that it would be better for their careers in the long run if they stayed put and played in the County Championship instead. Established players like Joyce might feel they can take their chances and play for Ireland, confident that when they return, they will still be required. But for those on the fringe, it could be a tricky decision to make. That is why a practical solution needs to be found.
The Twenty20 Cup competition has so far been a huge financial success for the counties, generating extra sponsorship, gate receipts and significant TV ratings for the domestic game in England. This year the event will be staged in July and the ICU would not, one imagines, be too upset if it coincided with the ICC Trophy in 2005. Because the Twenty20 is not the main focus of the season, counties would not mind releasing their Irish boys.
Meanwhile, Ireland would be afforded the best possible chance of qualification for the World Cup in the Caribbean with a full complement to choose from.
It is up to Tim Lamb (while he is still CEO of the England and Wales Cricket Board) and John Carr, the ECB's operations manager, to acknowledge the importance of promoting the game in Ireland (not to mention Scotland and Holland) and arrange next year's competitions in such a way that neither county nor country will be disadvantaged by the players' desire to forge careers in cricket while also wanting to make it to the biggest one-day competition of them all.
