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Craig Ervine, the Zimbabwe Test match batsman who has ambitions of playing for Ireland, believes there is a place for non-qualified players in the RSA inter-provincial championship.

Ervine is one of 24 players who have turned out for the Northern Knights this year as Ireland pursue their dream of Test match status by 2020 by developing a first-class structure.

And Ervine, the 28-year-old from Harare, who is in his second season with Lisburn and says players with big match experience can only help that ambition.

"It's understandable that only Irish players should play in one-day and T20 formats but in three-day games you do need guys with experience because it is a longer game and you have the time," says Ervine.

"Why not have the locals play in the one-day stuff and then let them build off the experienced players in the three-day format? You do need those guys who have played the longer format just to mix it up with those guys who haven't."

Ervine scored 92 in the Knights' last three-day game, against the North West Warriors, at Osborne Park last month and came under fire in some quarters for taking up the place of a player who is available to play for Ireland.

At the moment, Ervine cannot be called up until 2017 but following his retirement from the Zimbabwe Test team this year he has confirmed he would like to resume his international career with Ireland.

"It is something I've thought about. There is a process I have to go through to qualify so I will have to speak to the right people and see if it going to be a route for me to take," said the Irish passport-holder, via his great, great, grandfather.

"Playing for Knights was a very good experience for me. It's been quite tough playing three-day cricket over here in these conditions because the games don't actually go three days, but it's just the start of the inter-provincials so I'm sure as it continues it will get a lot stronger."

Ervine, who will be in action next week at Waringstown in the final three-day game of the Championship against Leinster Lightning, has already noticed the difference between the international-studded Leinster Lightning team and the inexperienced Warriors team, with the Knights somewhere in the middle, and that needs attention, he believes. I think they will have to try and balance out the sides because it seems that when North West meet Leinster they don't have much of a chance.

jimbo wrote:7 years until Ireland play test cricket potentially

Silly Silly Craig

jimbo wrote:7 years until Ireland play test cricket potentially

maehara wrote:And I'd be willing to put a few £s down that in 7 years, we won't be.