The World Cup starts next month in India and it will be a hard watch as yet again Ireland won't be there. As one of the players said in the build-up to the England series, it's like a big party and we aren't invited.

The review into the failure was presented to the Board two weeks ago. Nothing has been made public yet, but don't expect any major personnel changes despite pressure for change from at least two of the major Unions.

Previous failure to qualify for the 2019 World Cup saw an expensive review by consultants which saw little actually change, while the loss to Namibia prompted an extensive review by former Head Coach Adi Birrell and others.

It didn't sit too well as the home truths were laid bare. Uncomfortable reading. It was by and large ignored, so no real surprise when Ireland went crashing out at the latest qualifiers - their campaign ended as soon as it started. Not even making the Super Stage phase - embarrassing.

George Dockrell top-scored with 43 against England - Steve Bond.

The only casualty was Andy Balbirnie's captaincy, handing over the reins to Paul Stirling on an interim basis.

The next World Cup cycle for Heinrich Malan's side started this week with their ongoing series in England. Will he be there in four years time? There were rumours that he was very much in contention for the Wellington Head Coach job that went to Shane Jurgensen. There is usually a bit of turbelence and movement post World Cups, so it will be interesting to follow that as the conveyor belt of coaches turns.

As to the Ireland squad itself, it was in essence more of the same. While England started their succession planning with a new-look squad, Ireland opted for the bulk of the squad that failed in the qualifiers.

The England team that won Saturday's second ODI had a combined total of 37 ODI caps, with four debutants plus two players with just one cap - the team's average age 25.

Ireland by contrast have an average age of just under 29, with six players over 30 - openers Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie will both be 37 in four years time.

Ireland yesterday had a combined tally of 823 ODI caps - averaging close to 75 apiece. That is a wide enough sample for the coaching staff to draw some conclusions. 

The fact that they continue to go with more or less the same group can either be classed as a worrying lack of depth, or trust in the incumbents to improve their stats.

Finally, there will be some opportunities for the players below the top level to showcase their abilities over the close season.

There is a multi-format tour to the West Indies - Antigua has previously been mentioned. Whether it is described as an Academy, U23, or Wolves tour doesn't really matter too much.

Sri Lanka in January will also provide an opportunity for the Under 19s to show what they can do in the pressure situation of a World Cup.

There's no doubt the senior squad needs a refresh - let us hope that the neglect of the Wolves programme provides that over the coming 12 months when it is finally rectified. 

Who will emerge as the challengers to the senior squad? That debate will certainly shorten the winter!