Cricket Ireland can reap a financial and PR windfall if the weather is kind and everything goes to plan for Thursday’s visit of England to Stormont. Some of the English press has been less than kind with their criticism of the timing, but despite the much-publicised drinking binge that followed England’s 2005 Ashes victory, this celebration has been much more subdued, not least because of the more composed and professional leadership of England captain Andrew Strauss.
The Ashes series was captivating stuff but certainly not of the high standard of previous series, and therein lies an opening for Cricket Ireland to topple the triumphant English (and perhaps South Africans) before their champagne has started to warm. Certainly they deserve their moment of glory, but when the dust settles it will be back to the business of cricket or the euphoria will be a huge anti-climax. England will certainly take this match seriously, because it is a huge banana skin thrown in front of them barely a few days after their epic victory at the Oval. But despite all that is being said and written in the English press, this team is not a world beater, and defeating the under-performing Aussies won’t hide the huge cracks in their make-up. Also, they travel without their three best players in Strauss, Pietersen and Flintoff, so they are not as formidable as they could have been.
Cricket Ireland doesn’t get many opportunities to test their ability in a competitive environment, but with ODI status and participation in World Cup competitions, we get a lot more than we ever got before. And times have significantly changed in the last few years as our players are now virtually professional, so the gap in fitness and preparation that thwarted previous generations has all but disappeared, so we can compete on almost equal terms. That’s why the pressure will be on William Porterfield and his players as much as on England in this match, as many Irish supporters expect their heroes to perform, not just compete at this level. It’s a huge ask, but then don’t we aspire to be a test country so where best to promote our cause than an ODI victory over the mother country?
Irish cricket has come a long way in a short space of time, and while this match won’t make or break the development programme, a win could give us a huge boost at a critical time. Several prominent cricket commentators have been taking cheap pot shots at the Irish set-up in recent times, mostly from positions of limited knowledge, and that may further boost the will-to-win of the Irish team to pull off a shock win. These guys have been brilliant in recent years getting to this stage, so let’s hope the weather is kind and it is another day of celebration for Phil Simmons, big Roy Torrens, William Porterfield and the rest of the squad.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
