Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom has challenged the International Cricket Council to back up the promotion of Ireland and Afghanistan to join the 10 Full Member countries in a qualification process for the 2019 World Cup with the wherewithal to be able to compete in the new format.

Ireland and Afghanistan will now be removed from the World Cricket League, where they finished winners and runners-up respectively last time around to qualify automatically for next month’s 14-team World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Just 10 team will qualify for the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales, with the ICC setting a cut-off date of September 20th 2017 after which the top eight sides in the ODI rankings will book their place, while the bottom four teams will go into a 10-team World Cup qualifier event in 2018 to determine the final two teams.

Although on paper it may sound like Ireland will get two bites of the cherry to make it to the finals, the big issue for Ireland, who are ranked 12th, and 11th-ranked Afghanistan, is the opportunity to play matches that award ranking points against the sides ahead of them in the table.

Ireland has played just a paltry eight completed ODIs against teams ranked in the top 10 since the last World Cup in 2011, and none against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, who are ranked ninth and 10th.

Deutrom is keen that it’s not a case of Ireland being all dressed up with nowhere to go when it comes to meaningful matches in the build-up to the cut-off date in 2017.

“There is no obligation on any member to play any other member, but the ICC has created this and the ICC is the Full Members,”said Deutrom.

“So one hopes that it’s not just going to be some degree of lip service, saying ‘oh let’s make them feel better about being in the top league’ but it’s going to come with some some genuine opportunities to play some ODIs against the Full Members. Otherwise, frankly, what is the point?”