...in terms of commitment, focus and fitness.
The announcements that six full time contracts, and eleven part-time contacts will be available to the squad until after World Cup 2011 means National Coach Phil Simmons will have the best playing resources ever available to an Ireland coach. In itself this is a monumental step in the right direction, although it significantly raises the bar, and with that comes the burden of higher expectations. Cricket Ireland has done well on and off the field to improve the international profile of Irish cricket in the past five years, but grabbing the scalps of Pakistan and Bangladesh may not be enough to satisfy some supporters who crave more and more success at the highest level.
The realism is that the contracts will help level the playing field, but they don’t guarantee success, as there are many other challenges on climbing the mountain that Ireland has to achieve to attain test status. This is a massive step in the right direction and great credit should be given to the work behind the scenes within the Cricket Ireland administration, and to the main sponsors RSA, government and the ICC. Now we have 15 months to prove we are equal to the task and therein lies the biggest challenge of all.
Cricket Ireland’s 15-month litmus test starts this week in Sri Lanka and over the next few months will also involve matches against Afghanistan and Twenty20 World Cup qualification. The latter is perhaps Ireland’s major short-term goal, although the irony of using this type of ‘fast-food’ cricket as a stepping-stone to fine dining at the test cricket table should not be lost on the purists. In reality, winning or losing a Twenty20 match is not that important in cricket terms, but in financial and PR terms it can be massive, not least if it paves the way to the lucrative finals in theCaribbean in April/May and the possibility of another fairytale ride for the ‘Blarney Army.” This is all part of a demanding 2010 itinerary with Word Cup 2011 qualification another goal on the horizon.
Cricket Ireland now has six fulltime contracted players in Trent Johnston, Alex Cusack, Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien, Andre Botha, and John Mooney with a separate arrangement for the full-time players in other cricket employment like county players Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Gary Wilson and skipper William Porterfield, plus the versatile Andrew White. Other contracts will be ‘up-for-grabs’ depending on how the other members of the wider squad perform and cement their places in the team. In the wake of the retirements of Kyle McCallen and Jeremy Bray, and the unfortunate injury to Regan West, the door of opportunity beckons for some of our younger players, not least the talented Gary Kidd from Waringstown.
Paul Stirling has a fulltime Cricket Ireland contract and a county contract with Middlesex. In the past the counties had first option on a contracted player, but interestingly Stirling has insisted on being released by the county for Ireland matches. One presumes O’Brien, Rankin and Porterfield are not in this category, but Stirling’s position shows a significant commitment to Ireland and is to be applauded. It also marks a landmark in players seeing a career with Cricket Ireland and it may ultimately stop the talent going to Englandat our expense. Ed Joyce and Eoin Morgan are history as far Cricket Ireland is concerned, and it is time for everyone move on, get over it, and to give the current squad their 100% support and stop wallowing in what might have been. We have the best squad we have ever had and they are professional athletes under the control of an excellent National Coach.
It should be a challenging, but rewarding 15 months if we get it right.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
