Whether he did it under duress from Warwickshire or whether he weighed up his age and long history of injuries and made the decision on personal ambition is a moot point, but it doesn’t really matter as Cricket Ireland will go forward positively with or without the big Bready man. Rankin is a fine pace bowler and has put in some rousing performances in the green shirt, but he’s no world-beater and if he makes the England squad good luck to him. Publicly Cricket Ireland officials will wish him well, but privately they’ll be seething at losing another top player to a quirk in top class cricket that allows players from one country to play for another. Therein lies the problem, and don’t expect England to close the door as their test team has benefitted more than any other country with their ‘league of nations’ line up.
The speculation that slow bowler George Dockrell might follow a similar path is very real and what if Paul Stirling continues his prolific form at the top of the innings for Middlesex?
Dockrell is ambitious and would dearly love the chance to play test cricket, but he’s barely on the England radar and has plenty to do to establish himself in county cricket. He certainly has talent and he may have a big decision to make in the future, but the precocious talent of Stirling seems a much more attractive option for England in the short-term. Paul is a real homeboy and has openly pledged his allegiance to Cricket Ireland, but what if his county follow the Warwickshire route and start putting some pressure on their talented young opener? We live in an era of instant cricket and specialist Twenty20 players like Stirling are in big demand all over the world. He could be an instant success in IPL or any lucrative ‘smash, wallop and bang’ circus and if the carrot is big enough then can we fault him for making the most of his talent? Niall O’Brien jumped at the opportunity earlier this year in Bangladesh, banked his booty, served his ‘sentence’ and returned to the Cricket Ireland fold a few months later. Understandably he was welcomed back as we don’t have enough star players to take any long-term stand against defections whether short-term or long-term. After all, Ed Joyce was welcomed back with open arms and the door will always be open for Eoin Morgan even if we have to wait a few years.
Cricket Ireland is fortunate to have a good stock of up and coming young players and Rankin’s loss will open a door of opportunity for others. Realistically test cricket is not on the horizon for Cricket Ireland so in the short-term players with lofty ambitions will have to satisfy them in England colours. It sucks to be seen as a cricket nursery, but what is the solution? Ultimately the decision lies with the player and whether the incentive is professional or monetary can we criticize any talented young sportsman for making the most of his short career? Yes, we can offer better contracts, but Cricket Ireland has limited buying power without upsetting the balance sheet and at the end of the day we can’t offer test cricket.
Any talented and ambitious player has the right to make the most of their opportunities so let’s not be too hard on Boyd Rankin and any others who follow their head rather than their heart.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
