Warren Deutrom: Cricket Ireland boss says Zimbabwe qualifier 'bitterly disappointing'

Andrew Balbirnie (left) stepped down as Ireland white-ball captain following the team's poor performances at the World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe

Cricket Ireland chief Warren Deutrom says players, coaches and the governing body were "bitterly disappointed" by the displays of the Ireland men's side at the recent World Cup qualifier.

Ireland failed to reach the Super Sixes stage in Zimbabwe as they missed out on a World Cup spot by a big margin.

"No one would have banked on us not even making it through to the Super Sixes," said Deutrom.

The Irish would have earned $1m had they secured World Cup qualification.

"Obviously you take off whatever you would normally pay to players and then whatever preparation costs are," added the Cricket Ireland chief.

"We wouldn't be foolish enough to budget for what isn't guaranteed so it's not a financial loss per se, but there is no doubt it's an opportunity lost."

'No lack of spirit or dedication'

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Summer Sportsound, Deutrom insisted that there was "no lack of spirit or dedication within the playing and coaching ranks".

"They are as gutted as anyone that performances didn't meet our high standards."

Ireland's shock failure to even reach the Super Sixes stage eventually saw them finish seventh in the tournament as Sri Lanka and non-full-member the Netherlands secured the two qualifying spots for the World Cup in India during October and November.

Following the tournament, Andrew Balbirnie stood down as Ireland's white-ball skipper and Paul Stirling will captain the country in the T20 World Cup qualifier in Scotland later this month.

"We all know that getting to the World Cup for teams at the end of our table is difficult - it's difficult getting through the eye of a needle but of course the Dutch have just proven that it is possible," continued Deutrom.

Warren Deutrom admit Ireland's recent performance have belied their status as a Test nation

Deutrom admitted that Ireland's recent performances have belied their status as a Test nation.

The Irish were beaten by Bangladesh in a one-day series at Chelmsford in May before losing against England within three days in the Test at Lord's, when they narrowly avoided an innings defeat.

"There's no getting away from the fact that results have not been strong, certainly in the last few weeks.

"We do try and take as much of a long view as we can. I'm not glossing over and I've just acknowledged and accepted, as does everyone, that the performances over the last few weeks have not been up to standard and everyone knows that.

"But we don't have to go back too far, even just to the beginning of last year to see that we won in the West Indies. We had a series win against Afghanistan at home. We beat Scotland, the West Indies and England in the T20 World Cup only seven or eight months ago."

Deutrom explains Holdsworth's Lord's Test comments

Prior to the Lord's Test, Cricket Ireland high performance director Richard Holdsworth's description of the match as a "special occasion but not a pinnacle event" led to some raised eyebrows and Deutrom said Holdsworth had been attempting to show how "we have to make choices and those choices are driven largely by our constrained financial circumstances".

"The vast majority of the commentary that he gave was precisely respectful of the Test match, of the team that we were playing and of the environment that we were in."

Deutrom added that Harry Tector's rise to sixth in the ICC's ODI batting rankings and Josh Little's participation in the Indian Premier League demonstrate the progress that Irish cricket has been making despite "the bump in the road" in Zimbabwe.

Cricket Ireland remains optimistic that financial backing from the Irish Government will enable the building of a new national cricket stadium at the National Sports Campus in Dublin, which will ensure that Ireland can be a co-host at the 2030 World Cup.

"With new ICC funding coming in next year there is a great opportunity for us to be able to invest more and more [in the game].

"At the top of the game, of all the cricket nations on this planet, perhaps bar the USA, bearing in mind the opportunities that we have in the next few years - you might throw in the potential for Olympic inclusion, the potential for our women to participate in the Commonwealth Games, the fact that we are going to be co-hosting games in the 2030 World Cup - I still strongly believe that there is no other nation that has got our headroom for growth and success."