ST GEORGE’S (Grenada), April 19: Departing Ireland coach Adrian Birrell says the side need to avoid clashes with English counties by playing more out-of-season games if they are to build on their impressive World Cup debut.

With Ireland's home season running alongside the traditional English programme of April-September, the likes of Niall O'Brien (Northamptonshire) and Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) are at the call of their full-time paymasters rather than what is still a largely amateur set-up at national level.

And with fast bowler Boyd Rankin at Derbyshire and batsman William Porterfield set to join Gloucestershire, Birrell said radical thinking was required if Ireland were to have a chance of regularly fielding their strongest side between now and the next World Cup in 2011.

“Irish cricket should play out of (the English) season where there is no clash,” Birrell said as Ireland's World Cup ended disappointingly on Wednesday.They were bowled out for just 77 by Sri Lanka in an eight-wicket defeat.

“We're never at full strength then because three or four of our best players are playing for the counties,” added the South African.

“It's a tricky one. On the one hand, you want to piggy back onto the counties with the professional game, on the other, you want to have all your players available for every match.”

He cited Ireland's forthcoming Intercontinental Cup final, the leading four-day competition for non-Test nations, against Canada, in Leicester, central England, next month as an example of the problems Ireland faced.

“We are the defending champions, but we won't be at full strength because the counties will have some of our players. I don't see a solution other than playing out of season,” added Birrell, who said Ireland could play in the United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Another long-term issue for Ireland, who beat Pakistan and Bangladesh at the World Cup, is their best players trying to qualify for England so they can play Test cricket.

Opening batsman Ed Joyce, whose runs helped Ireland qualify for the Caribbean, represented England in this World Cup having switched allegiance.

“Players who are ambitious want to play cricket at the highest level as in Test cricket,” said Birrell.

“It will be hard to stop those players but I do think there's got to be a strategic decision to hold on to their players.

“Certainly making them semi or fully professional is a route. But this is all new, we've only recently got into the Super Eights and the world rankings.

“All of these are problems that are good problems to have and I'm sure the Irish Cricket Union will be attending to that very seriously.”

On Wednesday, Ireland were skittled out in under 28 overs by fast bowler Farveez Maharoof (four for 25) and off-spin star Muttiah Muralitharan (four for 19).

“I'm feeling a bit disappointed with our performance,” said Birrell, who will be succeeded as Ireland coach by former West Indies batsman Phil Simmons.

“Obviously preparing for Muralitharan is very difficult. But we're not the only side that have come unstuck against him and we won't be the last either.

“But I'm looking over at my stint with Irish cricket of five years, not just one match. We've moved forward and there's a great bunch of players now who are well-placed to take the game even further and I'm very proud of that.”—AFP