The call-up for Boyd Rankin to the England Lions squad at the end of last year brought mixed reaction around Irish cricket circles as the traditionalists howled foul play, and at the other end of the debate many people welcomed the recognition of a fine pace bowler. However, there were no doubts in the big Bready man’s mind, as like most of the top Ireland players, his ambition is to play at the top level and that means test cricket. Unfortunately there is no avenue open via Cricket Ireland, so Rankin’s only path is in England colours. That’s the realism for the Warwickshire county player.
But just how realistic is it to expect an Ireland player to get into test cricket? Eoin Morgan and Ed Joyce led the way several years ago and while Joyce appeared to have all the credentials, he didn’t have the luck and the opportunity to make the final jump from England ODI to test cricket and eventually returned to the Ireland fold. Morgan had luck and opportunity, and he has used both to great advantage to become an integral part of the England set-up, a player with the rare talent to excel in all codes of the game. There may be another Morgan in the Ireland ranks, but if there is, he is a long way off test cricket at this stage, and it is wishful speculation to think otherwise. Irish cricket over the past 20 years has been weaned on the abbreviated game and the path for our top players into five-day cricket can only be attained through county cricket. At this point in time only Rankin, William Porterfield and Nial O’Brien play regular county cricket, and from this trio only Rankin appears to be on the radar of the England selectors. Porterfield had a fine 2011 season and O’Brien is an excellent wicketkeeper/batsman, but both are well down the England pecking order. Kevin O’Brien and Paul Stirling are terrific hitters, but they have nailed their cricket talents to the mast and will never be viewed other than One-Day players, albeit with exceptional talent. As for the others they have to make their case, and that won’t be easy without a county cricket passage. The realism is that there is more chance for Irish players to play test cricket in their own colours than through the England door, and we all know that is an ongoing battle with the insular ICC.
Many people believe test cricket to be a dinosaur in modern sport, but it remains the beautiful game for the purist. Only genuine cricket lovers follow test cricket either in attendance or by television, while Twenty20 and ODI matches are followed by a motley collection of cricket spectators, most of whom love the excitement and drama of instant cricket. There will always be a place for both in the same way there is theatre and circus, fine dining and fast-food, long-distance running and sprints. It is different strokes for different folks.
Looking back a generation Ireland probably had players better geared to the longer game than today. After all, many of Ireland’s fixtures were time matches and how often has it been said that our best players Ivan Anderson, Ossie Colhoun, Paul Jackson, Stephen Warke, Dermott Monteith and Simon Corlett could have made it at county level? Speculation perhaps, but both Monteith and Corlett did enjoy the experience, and if professional contracts were as plentiful in their era as today, perhaps the cricket landscape would have been different?
One player who would certainly have enjoyed county cricket and might have raised the bar was the peerless Kyle McCallan. Kyle had the ability, the temperament, the focus, the fitness, and the mental game to play at the highest level, but he also had the security of a job and a lovely family so we’ll never ever know what might have happened.
In this instance perhaps speculation, but that’s what armchair cricketers do in the winter!
Clarence Hiles
Editor
