There are countries that harbor aspirations to become full members of the International Cricket Council and, with it, the opportunity to play Test cricket.
The case of Ireland should provide a salutary example of a rocky path. Awarded full-member status in 2017, Ireland is finding adaptation to Test cricket a tough and gradual process, full of unexpected challenges.
A detailed set of criteria has been put in place by the ICC to determine both full- and associate-member status. In summary, they cover aspects of governance, administration and finance, performance, participation and domestic structures, infrastructure and development policies.
The performance aspect includes a requirement that the men’s team had registered a specified number of victories over full-member teams in specified tournaments over an eight-year horizon.