Afghanistan and Ireland are poised to become the 11th and 12th members of Test match cricket’s close-knit club on Thursday when the sport’s governing body meets in London.
It’s been almost two decades since Bangladesh were the last country to be granted Test status but International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive David Richardson believes both Afghanistan and Ireland have impressive credentials.
“It’s never wise to try and make a call too early, but certainly the applications of both are very well founded,” said Richardson.
“They both, on the face of it, meet the majority, if not all, of the full member criteria that has been set.
“I’m optimistic that they’ll be given serious consideration to have every chance of succeeding.”
