Cricket Ireland chief Warren Deutrom ready for battle despite coronavirus crisis

Warren Deutrom remains a passionate advocate of Ireland's cricketing ambitions

Cricket Ireland has vowed to battle on with its mission despite the threat of coronavirus wiping out a planned busy summer of international action.

The global pandemic has already led to the postponement of the men's tour of Zimbabwe next month and seven limited-overs games against Bangladesh in May.

New Zealand and Pakistan are scheduled to play in Ireland in June and July.

"We're all going to have to take a pragmatic attitude," said Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom.

"We just don't know what's going to happen even if sport does get back up and running in June.

"The opposition teams are obviously governed by the views of their own governments.

"Given that Europe is now the epicentre of the Covid-19 crisis, the New Zealand government and the Pakistan government may take the view that whatever is being said in Europe, they don't feel it's safe to allow their players to leave their countries," Deutrom told BBC Sport Northern Ireland.

Even before the arrival of coronavirus, Cricket Ireland was already facing "financial headwinds" which contributed to planned Test matches this year against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh being called off.

Kevin O'Brien's century helped Ireland's men put up a creditable display in their Test debut against Pakistan in 2018

Irish achieved Full Member status in 2017

In truth, Cricket Ireland has been on the back foot financially speaking since being accepted to Full Member status in 2017 in the middle of an International Cricket Council [ICC] financial cycle already largely set in stone for the period between 2015-23.

"We've been told pretty much that we need to be patient until 2023 comes around because of the very fact Ireland and Afghanistan were brought into Full Member status in the middle of that cycle meant that the others had to take a haircut to accommodate us in the first place," added Deutrom.

"We're not unaware of that situation but it still doesn't necessarily change the economics of what we're effectively facing which is very, very expensive matches in venues which aren't permanent in a country still coming to grips with cricket as a mainstream sport under skies which are never normally guaranteed to be free of rain."

With home Test matches costing Cricket Ireland in the region of 1m Euro to stage, the Irish governing body was forced to cancel the planned game in Dublin against Bangladesh in May while the away five-day contests in Sri Lanka in February and Zimbabwe next month also fell by the wayside.

Limited over-series in Zimbabwe and against Bangladesh - which included four games at English venues - were still planned only for coronavirus to wreck Cricket Ireland's plans.

Even before the onset of Covid-19, Cricket Ireland had already cancelled five planned T20 games at home to Afghanistan in August which would have formed part of preparations for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October.

Indefatigable Deutrom

Inspite of seemingly not having his sorrows to seek, Deutrom remains as indefatigable as ever in his twin quest to establish cricket as a mainstream sport in Ireland and ensure the country's comparatively recent ascension to Full Member status is put on a solid foundation.

"What's the alternative? To say that we gave it a lash, we're not good enough. We're not able to do this so let's shut up shop and hand back full membership!" added an animated Deutrom.

"We are going to have to believe in our own ingenuity and ability to create revenue streams, our advocacy skills to the ICC and governments North and South and our ability to reshape the playing programme in a way that we can ensure is affordable."

Determined to put Cricket Ireland's financial difficulties in perspective in these worrying times, Deutrom is keen to point the good news that "Ireland's cricket family" so far appears to have escaped the worst ravages of the coronavirus.

"I am relieved that I've heard nothing to date and please God it stays that way."

It must be a given that the Covid-19 issue will be high on the agenda at this weekend's scheduled ICC board meeting which will take place remotely with chairman Ross McCollum representing Ireland.

Ireland's last Test was against England at Lord's last July when they had the hosts in trouble before being skittled out for only 38 runs

Irish set to wait until 2022 for next Test

After being awarded Full Member status in June 2017, the Irish made their Test bow the following May as they rattled Pakistan at Malahide before eventually losing by five wickets on the last day.

Two further Tests followed last year with the Irish suffering a seven-wicket defeat by Afghanistan last March before flattering to deceive against England at Lord's as they were bowled out for 38 to crash to a 143-run defeat after earlier dismissing the hosts for 85.

As it stands, Deutrom acknowledges that Ireland may not return to the Test arena until a scheduled away game in Zimbabwe in April 2022 with a planned home contest with Zimbabweans in August 2021 in danger of being cancelled amid Cricket Ireland's financial woes.

"I've going to have to caution a degree of realism about whether or not that [Zimbabwe home Test] is going to be affordable.

"In the same way we decided to cut our five T20 games against Afghanistan this year, we will probably take the same view in relation to specific costs versus the benefit of what else is going to be coming up.

"What follows that scheduled Test against Zimbabwe in August 2021 is the next iteration of the next T20 World Cup later in the year so we will be thinking of ensuring our preparation is going to be format-specific."

More immediately, Deutrom and his colleagues have been working hard over the past fortnight to come up with renewed financial plans in light of the coronavirus crisis.

"We put a budget to our board a couple of weeks ago which was trying to square the circle of all the issues that arose before Covid-19 came along.

"But we've now realised that everything we put to the board effectively became a work of fiction.

"We've got a series of meetings on the finance side coming up over the next two weeks. We're going to put a number of recommendations to the board and in the meantime, we're communicating with all our stakeholders, players and match officials and other members of the cricket family."