Malahide and Cricket Ireland set the scene with a magnificent venue and the public responded with the biggest crowd ever at a cricket match in Ireland. Even the weather responded and the Irish President Michael Higgins also made an appearance, another huge stride for Irish cricket's developing culture. The players also responded and a brilliant century from skipper William Porterfield in a fine 269-7 total was followed by four early wickets.
Could we dare to dream?
History will show Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara spoiled the party with two belligerent centuries and a record-breaking 226 stand that made several of the Irish bowlers look very ordinary. By the end of the match we were hammered and the irony of Irishmen Morgan and Boyd Rankin doing most of the damage was a bitter pill to swallow. But, in all fairness it would have been a shock result if Ireland had won despite England resting their 'over-worked' test players. The reality is that we are still on a learning curve at this level and we can't expect our national team to pull off wonder results every time they face the big boys.
Playing Scotland over the past weekend was a better barometer on which to measure progress.
National Coach Phil Simmons had a major challenge lifting morale after the Malahide mauling and for a long time Scotland looked to have the first ODI within their grasp at Stormont before Tim Murtagh hit a six and four in the last over to squeeze the win. This was followed by a more comprehensive victory on Sunday, the same day that a strengthened England team was hammered by Australia at Old Trafford. The two results highlight the difference between perception and reality. The perception is that we are up with the big boys, but in reality the England result showed we still have a lot to do to earn that status. The fact that England were subsequently well beaten by Australia suggests a bigger gap exists with the Aussies, and England also have some work to do to get on par.
There is also a perception in some Scottish quarters that they are on par with Ireland, but two defeats, albeit one very close, should confirm the reality that Ireland has left their Celtic neighbours in their wake over the last decade and the gap still exists.
The different emotions from Tuesday to Sunday highlight the ups and downs of sport and the importance of winning to maintain the momentum that exists in Irish cricket. OK, the England result and the part played by two of our former players were negatives, but Malahide Cricket Ground, the biggest crowd at an Irish cricket match, the attendance of the Irish President and two wins over Scotland with a few new faces in the frame are all positives that keep us moving in the right direction.
If a week is a long time in politics it is just as long in Irish cricket.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
