That is a very well thought-out and considered comment, particularly with regard to the strength of the first-class systems in associate nations.

If the winners of the Intercontinental Cup could play Test cricket for a year or two, then that could work as a sort of preliminary competition without exposing existing Test nations to the threat of ‘relegation’.

As for One Day cricket (and especially Twenty20), then I think an ‘open’ qualification system has considerable merit.

In any case, I am moving away from a tiered competition. I think we need a lot less international cricket, with qualification rounds to major championships (and lesser plate championships) that are accessible to all teams (more or less), rather than a league system. The lower ranked test nations (particularly New Zealand) are rightly against a tiered system that allows movement between tiers. If they fall out of the top tier (and eventually they will) it is a huge problem. Regional championships would guarantee that every few years they’ll have to face off against South Africa and Australia (and some set of Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, PNG, Uganda, Argentina etc. who’ll have their own set of qualifiers before they get to the regionals)

Also worth pointing out: the Irish football league is complete and utter rubbish. Good Irish players have always played in England, where the money is. The idea that Ireland will develop a competitive first class system is completely daft. They don’t need it, European Union rules allow the Irish (and Dutch and Scottish) players full access to English county cricket, and the best players won’t play in it anyway. Unless, like the West Indies, they need to in order to gain test selection but in a future where most money is in the domestic T20 leagues, I am not sure that would work either.

Thanks Shep, RIP.