Ireland’s cricket fans might have to wait longer to witness their national team lock horns with the mighty Australians, as the first-ever bilateral series between the two nations scheduled for August-September this year is facing a potential postponement. The primary reason behind this setback is a combination of financial constraints and venue limitations.
Challenges of Hosting a Cricket Giant
While Ireland has previously hosted one-off ODIs against Australia during their tours to England, hosting a full series presents a different set of challenges. Cricket Ireland’s high-performance director, Richard Holdsworth, highlighted the financial and logistical hurdles in a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo.
“What we had in the FTP as a whole… it’s a real challenge to deliver all of it. We’ve got almost too much cricket for the amount of venues that we’ve got. Costs of putting on games in Ireland have gone up considerably since Covid. Hotel prices, putting up temporary infrastructure for grounds have gone up astronomically,” Holdsworth explained.
Limited Options and Tight Schedule
Holdsworth confirmed that shifting the series to England is not an option due to their packed schedule. Additionally, the absence of a planned tour to the UK until the 2027 Ashes further complicates the situation.
“England have a really heavy schedule around that time, and we certainly wouldn’t be considering playing the likes of Australia at a very small county ground. We’re still looking at all options in terms of whether or not we can host [Australia] this summer or whether we move [them] into a different part of the FTP,” Holdsworth added.
Financial Constraints Pose a Hurdle
Holdsworth further elaborated on the unforeseen financial challenges faced by Cricket Ireland, impacting their ability to host the series.
“It has meant that our budget is not as great as we thought it would be. If we had more revenues coming in this year, there’s no question that we could have been able to deliver more,” he concluded.
With the clock ticking towards the scheduled tour window, Cricket Ireland is actively exploring all possible options. Whether they manage to overcome the financial and logistical hurdles and host Australia for the historic series in August-September or seek a postponement to a different timeframe remains to be seen.
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