Ireland risk Friends Provident knockout

Ireland are prepared to risk being thrown out of next season's Friends Provident Trophy by playing ODIs against India and South Africa in June.

The two matches come before the India-South Africa series, which is part of the BCCI's offshore deal with Zee TV, but the games are for the ICU to sell, allowing them a first major inroad into the lucrative TV market.

Warren Deutrom, the ICU chief executive, told Cricinfo: "The ICU are free to sell those two matches and it is a chance for us to see how the world values Irish cricket after our success at the World Cup. This is a great opportunity for us to bring vital money into the game and we just couldn't turn it down."

But the ECB are unhappy about the three-match series involving India and South Africa because it clashes with England matches against West Indies. Deutrom said there hasn't been any official word from the ECB - with who the ICU have a "strong working relationship - regarding Ireland's future in the Friends Provident Trophy, but says that TV coverage is central to the issue.

"I understand the concerns of the ECB, which involve the potential clashes with England matches on June 29 and July 1, but there have been many other cases where more than one international match has been staged on the same day.

"The main reason India and South Africa are coming over to play each other and Ireland wouldn't have had the chance to arrange their own matches if we'd turned down the chance to host the series."

Despite the success of Ireland's World Cup campaign cricket is still an amateur sport in the country. Already the impact of players leaving to take up county contracts has been felt with Boyd Rankin and Eoin Morgan now at Derbyshire and Middlesex.

"If we want to build on the World Cup we have to create a system whereby we can stop players leaving for England if they want a career in cricket or having to find other jobs," said Deutrom. "It is my job to build the best possible environment for our players to thrive and these ODIs are a major part of that."

Ireland will also face West Indies during a quadrangular tournament alongside Scotland and Netherlands. "For Ireland to have the chance to face three Full Member sides in a matter of weeks is a huge boost for the game."

Ireland will have their leading players, such as Rankin and Morgan, available for the ODIs against Full Member countries because of a clause written into their county contracts. This also covers any major events such as the Twenty20 World Championships in September, but the ICU are still in the progress of trying to negotiate releases for the Intercontinental Cup final later in May.