So close, yet so far for Ireland, Netherlands

The rain pelting down on the Dharamshala International Cricket Stadium on Friday had two victims. 

First it accounted for the Netherlands, and then it overcame Ireland too.

Both countries had come through an arduous qualification process to get here. 

Yet after playing one game in the preliminary stage of the World T20, they are out. 

As the World T20 has been moved from every two years to every four, they will have to wait another until 2020 for another chance to reach the main stage of the competition.

Little wonder that Netherlands captain Peter Borren was so aggrieved after. 

"Guys have put a lot of work into this campaign. It started a year ago or close to that starting with the first part of the qualifier in Ireland and Scotland,” he lamented, a man overwhelmed by despair. 

"We shared that trophy and played some really good cricket. We sit here now after playing three hours of cricket against Bangladesh, where we came up short. It's extremely disappointing. Obviously we can't do anything about the weather.”

Neither could the ground staff in Dharamshala, and no one could fault their admirable attempts to ensure that Ireland's game with Bangladesh could be completed. 

But, especially given the ruthless nature of qualifying for the main stage of the World T20 – the Netherlands had to go through eight games just to reach the main qualifier – it is staggering that the qualifier for the Super 10s lacks a reserve day.

The deeply unsatisfying scenes witnessed yesterday are hardly a one-off. 

Ireland know that better than anyone: three of their five World T20 campaigns have now been ended by washed-out matches. 

Quick Single: Rain knocks Ireland out of World Twenty20

As disappointingly as Ireland played against Oman and in the eight overs possible against Bangladesh, they deserved for their fate in the tournament to be determined on merit and not on the whims of clouds in the Himalayas.

Both disconsolate skippers raised deeper questions about cricket's attempts to expand. 

While the ICC Development Programme has done sterling work to develop teams outside the Test elite – something highlighted by ever-growing competitiveness and the remarkable improvement in participation numbers in the 95 associate and affiliate nations, which trebled to 1.4 million between 2010 and 2014 – associates feel hampered by a lack of opportunity.

Proof of as much came in the words of Ireland skipper William Porterfield. 

"That is why the ICC has the tournament in two phases because they will lose a lot of revenue if one of the 'top nations' go out to any of us in the early rounds," he said. 

"It doesn't happen in any other sport. Every sport grows. Football has increased the number of teams for the 2023 World Cup. Rugby have done the same. They are looking to progress their games.

"After the last World Cup there were quite a few people at the top table who were quite happy that we missed out on run rate. Makes it a bit easier for them to ignore all the comments and let it die over time. This is what happens.” 

After Scotland captain Preston Mommsen expressed similar thoughts on Thursday, the sense is that associate nations are railing against the contempt with which they feel they are treated. 

All the sacrifices they make to play the game, training endlessly to prepare for matches in the distant future, are to no avail. 

When they return home from India, the Netherlands have just three games – two one-day games with Nepal and a first-class game with Afghanistan – scheduled for the rest of the year. 

Borren's exasperation could be excused.

"Right now the feeling is absolutely devastated. It's just a cruel, cruel place to be. I guess, I wish we could find those nine runs somewhere from the other night."