CRICKET: This has surely been one of the most memorable seasons of cricket in this part of the world. As the season here and in England comes to a close, not for a generation have newspapers across the Irish Sea devoted more column inches to cricket than to soccer so far into September, particularly in Ashes years.

The cost, of course, for being served up perhaps the best Test series in living memory is the triumphalism that we will be forced to suffer for many years to come. No doubt, they will be throwing MBEs and BBC Sports Personality awards around like confetti amid comparisons to Alf Ramsey's charges in 1966 and Clive Woodward's in 2003.

But, to be honest, this inevitable Swing-Low-Sweet-Chariot factor can do little to numb the pleasure of watching a genuinely competitive and exciting Ashes summer. Both sides must be congratulated for this and for having the perspective and respect for the game to conduct themselves in a sporting way, even when the heat rose to boiling point.

For Irish cricket as well as English, this will go down as a memorable season. Qualifying for the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies was, unlike England regaining the Ashes, wholly expected. But it was none the less enjoyable or significant for that.

The only worry is that despite reaching the final of the ICC Trophy and qualifying for the world finals of the Inter-Continental Cup, to be played in Namibia next month, Ireland never consistently performed at the high level that we know they can.

This was illustrated by the fact that the captain of the team, Jason Molins, was dropped from the squad to head to Windhoek in October after a hideous year with the bat.

But cricket in Ireland has never had such as opportunity to cash in on all that is going on around us in the game. As we prepare for the World Cup, pressure must be brought to bear on the England and Wales Cricket Board to put their prejudices and arrogance to one side and agree to field a full England team for a one-day match or series of one-day matches against Adrian Birrell's Ireland.

There is not a ground in Ireland big enough to cater for the interest that would generate. People without any cricket connections in Ireland who have been enthralled by watching the likes of Andrew Flintoff, Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen on Channel 4 this summer would surely flock to Castle Avenue or Stormont to have a look at those guys in the flesh.

What that could do for the image of the game here, not to mention the Irish Cricket Union coffers, should have the men in blazers salivating at the prospect. Every effort must be made to ensure that it happens.

For many cricket players and supporters, this can be a depressing time of year as a long, dark willowless winter beckons. But to help soften the blow, a history of Irish cricket, Green Days by Gerard Siggins, is to be published next month so that at least we can recall the glory times of days gone by. It is an excellent account with several hitherto unpublished little gems that are worth the cover price alone. It is a superbly written and insightful examination of cricket from the first Ireland international in the Phoenix Park in 1855 to the successes of 2005.