Ireland's Test against New Zealand at Stormont in May was their 13th in the format. Cricket Ireland chief executive Sarah Keane says the prospect of joining the World Test Championship is "exciting" but some "big discussions" are needed over the challenges that come with it.

Keane will be part of further talks on the future of expansion of the WTC at the International Cricket Council (ICC)'s annual general meeting in Edinburgh this week. Nine teams currently contest the WTC but there are plans to increase that number to 12 by adding Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe.

Ireland have only played the longer format sporadically since they were made full members of the ICC in June 2017. "It's likely that there's going to be a proposal to include us in the WTC," Keane told BBC Sport. "I think that's a big question for us and it's a big conversation to be had. It's not an easy one, but it's a big one.

"I know from a performance side that red-ball cricket is seen also as very good from the development perspective of players. "We'd be excited by the possibility of us being part of the WTC."

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Keane's tenure with Cricket Ireland started in March having succeeded Warren Deutrom after he stepped down following 19 years in the role. The 53-year-old was previously the chief executive of Swim Ireland and was also the first woman president of the Olympic Federation of Ireland.

Keane said the "affordability" of playing Test cricket is a "massive issue" which faces Irish cricket given the cost of playing the format. Additionally, Ireland do not have a first-class competition - an inter-provincial tournament was last played in 2019 - to support Test cricket.

Keane would like the key figures at the ICC, and other national boards, to appreciate the specific circumstances facing members such as Ireland going forward. "A big part now, over the next couple of months, is where do we fit in that wider ICC vision and that wider global vision for cricket in the next, I'd say five to 10 years," she added.

"Hopefully at the next stage that there's more kind of individual concentration with full members around their individual challenges, because they vary. They vary hugely and probably what those who are top ranked have in terms of challenges will be different from others. "I do think there's an element of, are some of the bigger nations understanding the challenges of the smaller nations?"