The Ireland squad will stand proudly alongside the megastars of the modern game and with every right to feel they deserve to be there. For their part their peers will give them total respect, and while the top teams will expect to beat the minnows, they will take nothing for granted in the light of previous experience.
Cricket Ireland has earned its bones in the tough competitive world of international cricket where scraps from the top table are hard-earned. The participation of the Associate countries is a controversial topic and while outwardly the ICC chiefs promote development across the globe, their actions suggest they want the monopoly and control of the game to be tightly guarded around the top countries. Cricket Ireland’s results will be closely monitored by all and sundry because they carry the added responsibility of representing the minnows and the future participation of the Associate nations could depend on their performances.
All this is light years away from the Gentlemen of Ireland national team of yesteryear. We have come a long way from 20 years ago when the participation of the late Raman Lamba as a non-qualified Ireland player was treated with great distain by many traditionalists. Ten years ago things had moved on significantly thanks to Mike Hendrick, but in the past decade the whole scene has changed beyond recognition through the leadership of Adi Birrell and Phil Simmons on the field and Warren Deutrom and Roy Torrens off it. Big Phil had a lot to do following in the footsteps of the popular Adi, but the popular West Indian has been a tremendous asset for Irish cricket and this will be his platform as much as for the players.
And let’s not forget big Roy, the acknowledged “Mother Hen” who through his tenure as team manager now knows more about the players that they know about themselves, and who has become a well-known international personality in his own right. Off the field Warren Deutrom has been another big asset and the recent launch of Cricket Ireland TV is a major boost in the right direction. This guy has vision and enterprise of the highest calibre.
But all eyes will be on performances on the field in India and the recent victory over Zimbabwe was a welcome boost to preparations that haven’t gone completely to plan. However, what we all have to understand these days is that Cricket Ireland is in the big league and although our players are the best we have ever produced at this level, we can’t expect to regularly knock over test countries with huge resources and stronger cricket infrastructures. Irish cricket is climbing up the ladder and this is another rung to be negotiated, so some reality must be brought to the table. That has to be said before the competition starts in earnest as within the group matches Ireland will face three of the top four teams in South Africa, India and England. The players will certainly not be overawed by the prospect, but realistically our best chances of success will come from the matches against Bangladesh, West Indies and the Netherlands.
Everyone will remember the hype that followed the tie with Zimbabwe and the victory over Pakistan at Sabina Park in 2007, and the euphoria that followed as Cricket Ireland announced its arrival on the world stage. Major progress has been made in the ensuing four years and with most of our team now on professional contracts, our players have greatly improved their levels of fitness, application and expertise. Now we have a great opportunity to deliver and everyone should get behind this squad through thick and thin because they deserve our total support.
Good luck Phil, Roy, William and the boys in green!
Clarence Hiles
Editor
