A slap in the face for ICC

Ireland's fantastic victory over England was a blow struck for all of the world's cricket "minnows".

While Andrew Strauss's men took a punch to the gut on the field, it was nothing compared to the stinging slap in the face the result delivered to the smug, money-hungry International Cricket Council (ICC).

You see, no matter how well Ireland and its fellow associate nations (the Netherlands, Kenya and Canada) do at this World Cup, they will not be going to the 2015 Cup in Australia and New Zealand.