Ireland reject county cricket
Sep 29 2009 - 10:37:34
Ireland have turned down an invitation to play in English domestic cricket next summer.
The ECB had invited Ireland to play in the new-look 40-over competition, but the Netherlands will now step in as a replacement.
Ireland coach Phil Simmons commented: "I want to primarily focus on the 15 or 16 players who will represent us at the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent.
"I feel that the 12 additional games would be a step too far for the guys.
"We are now playing more and more cricket out of season. It's approaching an all-year round game for Irish cricket, therefore the timing doesn't work as well as in past years."
ECB chief executive David Collier added: "Given the heavy expansion of cricket at international level we can understand why Ireland have focused their resources on international events."