Michael Taylor has recently argued that Ireland cannot play Test Cricket. Indeed placed against the criteria laid down by the ICC and how Ireland measure up against such criteria it is hard to see how Ireland will ever satisfy it.

So can we say that Ireland will never be a Test playing cricket nation? My answer to that is emphatically no! Ireland can be a Test Match cricket nation and could well be within a generation. The biggest stumbling blocks are finance, public support and the lack of a viable self funded First Class structure. However all of these obstacles are easily overcome.

The main question is not ‘Can Ireland play Test Cricket?' but ‘Does Ireland want to play Test cricket?' and I would argue they don't.

The facts are that much of the income generated by the ICC and distributed out to the Test playing nations are generated by One Day International competitions. It is this revenue that is used to sustain the First Class competitions in almost every Test playing nation.

When Bangladesh and Zimbabwe were preparing to enter the elite band of Test playing nations their own State sides were cobbled together to meet the criteria laid down by the ICC. Once the First class structures and teams are in place then it is easy to sustain once the revenue rolls in from the ICC ODI competitions.

The funds become part of the mix in how they are distributed by each member country. In every Test playing country without exception, based on the gate receipts of the three and four day First class competitions, the whole structure would be completely unsustainable. Believe me when I say that for some internal First Class matches in other parts of the world 14 people would constitute a big crowd!

There are much bigger crowds attending the domestic One Day and Twenty/20 competitions in those countries and this generates vital revenue to support the County/State teams. But it is central funding that keeps the whole thing afloat. Therefore it is One Day cricket that subsidises First Class cricket which in turn is necessary to produce Test class cricketers.

Ireland already has a team that would be competitive in Test cricket and would be capable of beating some of the weaker Test teams at present such as Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and the West Indies. So to be dismissive of the possibility of Ireland playing Test Matches is wrong.

However there are much bigger questions at stake here and not merely Ireland's ability or not on becoming a Test playing nation. Test Match cricket is the ultimate in the sport. It is where players make their reputations. It is the supreme test of a player's technique and character. It is the pinnacle of a player's career. But you cannot escape the fact that for many countries playing Test cricket their players are not up to the job and do not provide the ultimate ‘test.' The question should not be whether or not Ireland should play Test cricket but whether or not Bangladesh , Zimbabwe or even the West Indies should be playing Test cricket? At this point in time they should not.

Many years ago touring Test match sides would play a number of warm up games against the First Class State or County teams before embarking on a Test match series. Nowadays even these fixtures which once held a strong public appeal are defunct. Teams fly in to the country, play a quick warm up match against a hastily cobbled together President's eleven of some sort and then go straight into a Test Match. The touring schedules are far too crowded to do anything else.

There is no history of 3 day or 4 day cricket in Ireland nor is there any appetite for 3 day and 4 day domestic cricket in Ireland. Even if we had a blank cheque book from say the Irish government to support it financially there is no great desire to do so. The only reason it would exist would be to satisfy some outdated ICC qualifying criteria. It is pointless to set it up when no-one wants to watch it.

The facts are that the ICC needs to have a long think about how the game is developing and how the current way of doing things needs a major overhaul. Ian Chappell described Test match cricket as fine dining and healthy eating, ODI's as takeaways and Twenty/20s as puddings. Get too much of the latter and you get fat.

My own belief is that Test Match nations should be reduced to eight with England, Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and West Indies making up the eight. West Indies must be told to put their house in order otherwise it will be reviewed in two years time. If their recent performances do not approve then they should have their Test status suspended.

In addition to the eight Test teams the ICC should then create 4 permanent ODI teams in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Kenya. These four teams would be included in all future tour programs to Test playing nations where they would play the First Class State/County teams and compete in International One Day fixtures. They would also gain automatic qualification to ODI World Cups, Twenty/20 World Cups and should compete in a revamped Champions Trophy event.

The remaining Associate nations would compete in exactly the same way as at present with an increased number of fixtures against the four permanent ODI teams.

The ICC should fund the whole structure in a different manner. Worldwide television rights should be sold separately for Test Match cricket. This money should be divided between the 8 Test match nations only. These countries would also be free to select players from outside of the Test match countries if they are playing in their domestic leagues. Therefore players from Holland or Ireland could play for England in test matches, or Zimbabwean and Kenyan players could play for South Africa in test matches without affecting their ODI status with their home countries.

This happened for decades when many great South African players were in fact Zimbabwean before they were a Test Match nation.

There are people who will argue that this fudges the issue of nationality but I do not believe it does. Rugby League is a sport where Great Britain plays test matches against Australia and New Zealand but England Scotland Ireland and Wales compete individually in the Rugby League World Cup.

The television revenue generated for the ICC from their ODI competitions should therefore be divided between the 12 permanent ODI teams (8 Test plus 4 ODI). By making 16 teams the standard amount to qualify for the World Cup the 4 Associate teams that qualify would receive a much greater share of the revenue than at present which in turn could help develop their cricket.

By building a structure like this it helps to spread the game globally and protects the integrity of Test Match cricket as the ultimate test of the player. It reduces the amount of cricket played by the top players and therefore ensures the top world stars are on the pitch more often than the treatment table.

Most importantly of all from an Irish perspective it provides a framework where our players can develop in a format of the game that is more sustainable financially. It provides a means where our future is not undermined by losing our very best cricketers to another country. Players able to represent England in a test match but cannot do so in an ODI if they have already represented Ireland in one during the previous four years. Proper funding will ensure players like Morgan, Joyce and Rankin will be happy to play for Ireland in ODI's without affecting their chances to play Test cricket.

The ICC has a duty to protect the integrity of the sport and not to dilute the product by producing too many matches. At the same time they must try to develop the game globally. Many of the structures are already in place to do so but it will take courage to implement meaningful change. What I have outlined above may be radical but the principles are sound. The game must grow to survive but cannot do so under the present set up. It is time for an overhaul.