ICC: New Entries to be added to the Test playing nations 

Ireland and Afghanistan cricket teams are expected to be upgraded to Test playing nation status in a three years time. 

This step is taken by ICC to increase the popularity of the longest format of cricket. This move from ICC is expected to have a major impact on the performance of these two nations.

Cricket Ireland’s CEO Warren Deutrom while talking to Off the Ball said, “There’s a meeting in October in Cape Town in about three weeks time and there are some proposals that have been put on the table. 

"There were a lot of ideas kicked around. It wasn’t just about test cricket. The decision will hopefully be made in mid-October but the actual starting point for the new proposals wouldn’t probably be until after the 2019 World Cup." 

Afghanistan has shown improvement in the limited-overs cricket. They were the only team who could beat West Indies in the T20 World Cup 2016. 

The Irish team will be touring South Africa where they will play one game against the hosts and one against Australia.