Interprovincial Twenty20 Cup
| Interprovincial Twenty20 Cup | |
|---|---|
| Countries |
 Ireland |
| Administrator | Cricket Ireland |
| Format | Twenty20 cricket (although without full recognition) |
| First tournament | 2013 |
| Tournament format | Double round-robin |
| Number of teams | 3 |
| Website | [www.cricketireland.ie] |
 2013 Interprovincial Twenty20 Cup | |
The Inter-Provincial Twenty20 Cup is a Twenty20 cricket tournament in Ireland between the three leading cricketing provinces of Ireland, equivalent to all other Twenty20 cricket tournaments in other countries such as the Caribbean T20 of West Indies and the Big Bash League of Australia. The tournament will be held for the first time from 28 April-22 September 2013 across venues in Ireland. Currently, the status of these matches is in line with Karnataka Premier League matches, but would be elevated to full Twenty20 recognition if and when Ireland gained Full Member status.
History
Background
The Ireland cricket team have had huge success recently on the international level which has boosted the popularity of the game in the country. They had earned the reputation of a giant killer after upsetting teams like Pakistan and Bangladesh (2007 Cricket World Cup), and England (2011 Cricket World Cup). Their good performances in major international tournaments meant that Cricket Ireland openly started bidding for Test match status to the International Cricket Council.[1] Nevertheless, one of the main stumbling road blocks for Ireland from getting to play the pinnacle of the game was a lack of a first-class cricket infrastructure at home, among other things. As early as August 2011, Cricket Ireland announced plans of a domestic first-class tournament.[2] In January 2012, Cricket Ireland announced the ambitious 'Vision 2020' plan which announced the establishment of a first-class structure by 2015 and achievement of Test status by 2020. It also began work on a cricket academy to find talented players across the country and improving grass-roots cricket in the country. For the first time professional contacts, with central, A, B, and C were established. Plans for Test status were established partly to stem the flow of their star cricketers moving away to England in hope of playing Test cricket such as Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan and Boyd Rankin.[3][4][5][6][7][8] According to Richard Holdsworth in an interview with Setanta Sports, CI are pleased with the strategic progress that had been made as of November 2012.[9] In December 2012, Ireland got a $1.5m boost as increased funding from the ICC to establish elite domestic competitions in the country.[10]
Present
The inaugural tournament will be held in 2013. For more information, on the schedule see 2013 Interprovincial Twenty20 Cup.[11]
Format
The inaugural tournament will be held in a double round-robin format with each team playing each other twice, once at its home ground and the other leg away.
Teams
According to Richard Holsworth's interview to Setanta Sports, three teams would initially participate in the tournament, Leinster cricket team, Northern cricket team and North-West cricket team as Munster and Connacht were considered still quite far away from fielding a competitive team for provincial tournaments. They were also given a separate limited overs names much similar to the systems in England and Australia, i.e, like Nottinghamshire Outlaws and South Australia Redbacks. In this case, the names are Leinster Lightning, Northern Knights and North West Warriors.[12][13]
| Team | First Season | Titles | 2013 Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leinster Lightning | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
| Northern Knights | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
| North West Warriors | 2013 | 0 | n/a |
Seasons
Current season
See also
References and notes
- ↑ ICC to consider Ireland's bid for Test status ESPN.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ Ireland plan first-class structure ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ Ireland unveil Test cricket vision CricketEurope4.net. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ CI reveals ambitious plans aimed at receiving Test status Sky Sports. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ Ireland map out path to Tests ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ Ireland's Boyd Rankin retires to play Test cricket for England Cricket Country. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ Ireland calls for Test status to 'halt exodus' ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ Rankin retires, Holdsworth calls for Test status irelandcricketwebbly.com. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ Cricket Ireland happy with progress of strategic plan Setanta Sports. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ Ireland receive $1.5 m boost from ICC ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ Interprovincials 2013 Cricketeurope4.net. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ North-West announce shortlist for name Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 9 March 2013
- ↑ NCU confirm team name for 2013 Interpros Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 9 March 2013
External links
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