Cricket World Cup: Ireland captain William Porterfield wants more games against top teams

Captain William Porterfield feels Ireland’s progress is being blocked by the reluctance of full-member nations to play them.

Ireland famously upset England at the 2011 World Cup but they have only played nine one-day internationals against top-flight nations since.

They have built a reputation as a team capable of securing upsets at major tournaments only to find themselves in the relative wilderness of associate cricket in between them.

Porterfield believes the situation is holding back a nation which, under Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom, has been proactive in nearly all departments with the exception of playing international matches.

"We need fixtures. We're crying out for that," Porterfield said.

"We need that kind of support. As a player it is very frustrating. We've talked about World Cups and they're four years apart. We've played nine games against top-eight teams since 2011.

"Nine games in four years is nothing really. We need to be playing more."

Asked why he thought other nations were not playing Ireland, Porterfield added: "I'm not sure, I can't put my finger on it. Warren and the people behind the board have done a fantastic amount to try and organise fixtures, but I'm guessing it is up to boards to agree to play us.

"We've got an open door to anyone so I'm guessing teams aren't agreeing to play us."

Last month the International Cricket Council handed Ireland the chance to qualify for the 2019 World Cup directly for the first time, should they raise their ranking into the top eight by a cut-off date of September 30, 2017.

Under the system Ireland, and Afghanistan, will no longer play in the World Cricket League Championship - the 50-over tournament for associate and affiliate nations - and instead against the other 10 full-member nations.

But Porterfield points out that unless Ireland play more matches then any new pathway to the World Cup will effectively be closed off to them anyway.

"If we play the same amount of fixtures we have in the past four years we've no chance because we're not going to qualify through nine games," he said.

"I'm not asking for seven fixtures against Australia or India, we've got to be playing teams around us first and foremost and more often which we're not getting.

"Hopefully being in this top 12 we'll get this opportunity. That's what we need and the proof is going to be in the pudding over the next 12-18 months if we get these fixtures."

Ireland meet West Indies first in the World Cup in Nelson on February 17 in a game that could shape their chances and when asked what would constitute a good tournament, Porterfield said: "Getting out of our group. We've done that on previous occasions in different formats of World Cups.

"That's first and foremost, that's our goal to get through that and reassess from there.

"Once you get through your group you are in straight knockout games. That's the priority for ourselves to get into that top four."