...but when you are a minnow mixing with the mighty it is huge in real terms. Ireland performed with great distinction in this World Cup and showed how far they have progressed in the past four years. The win over Pakistan in 2007 was regarded as a fluke by many cricket people and clouded in doubt and suspicion by events that had nothing to do with cricket, but after the performances in the past few weeks there is a general recognition amongst everyone that Ireland can compete with the best.
There were many magical and unforgettable individual performances, but the real success in this tournament was the team’s ability to compete in every match. The biggest disappointment was perhaps the capitulation to South Africa, but there were also many positives in this match, not least the attitude taken by the team that they could chase down an imposing total set by the tournament favourites and the strongest team in ODI cricket. Ireland successfully chased totals in excess of 300 to win two games and catapult themselves into the record books. And who could ever forget Kevin O’Brien’s 50-ball century against England in that amazing game?
Records are there to be beaten but this one may challenge even the mega-hitters like Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard. Kevin sits proudly at the top of the tree and after beating England nobody is talking or taking Ireland lightly anymore. William Porterfield’s team under Phil Simmons’s expert guidance has made a statement and at the same time given this tournament a huge boost with their stirring displays.
Everyone will have their own memories of the six Ireland matches with O’Brien’s meteoric century at the top of the pecking order, but there were many other outstanding performances. Paul Sterling’s brilliant century against the Dutch set up the platform to win the game and at one stage he looked like breaking Kevin’s 50-ball target. The team ethic was strong throughout and the fielding was exceptional. Old warhorses like Trent Johnston and Andre Botha were inspirational and every player had moments to savour. Gary Wilson came of age and the slow bowling of George Dockrell and Paul Sterling was tremendous at times. Porterfield’s captaincy was highly complimented by the experts, and if there were a couple of occasions when he got the power play wrong, his explanations after the game were sound. It shows how little we know watching from the armchair!
If there were disappointments then the modest returns from Boyd Rankin and Ed Joyce would top my bucket list as they have so much talent that didn’t come out as much as we would have liked. And yes, it would have been great to beat Bangladesh in the first game, but the England result was a much bigger scalp and in the “Battle of the Associates” the win over the Dutch was so comprehensive that the Dutch were totally gutted.
Everything was a learning curve and playing at the highest level in competition is the only way our players can improve and better themselves from the experience. Getting to the quarter-finals would have been a dream-come-true, but looking at the way the competition was structured it was geared for the top 8 nations to get through despite the threat of a surprise result here and there. And therein lies the uncertainty of what happens going forward.
Ireland did the Associate countries proud in the tournament and it remains to be seen if all the kind comments and high praise from commentators and the cricket hierarchy can shift the thinking within the ICC that wants to limit the next World Cup tournament to ten teams. Ireland may still be one of those top ten, but the insular and self-preserving nature of ICC thinking suggests it will be the test nations that are included. Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom was in India and doing his best to promote our cause off the field, but it was the players who made the biggest statement and let’s hope it bears fruit when the big decision is made.
In the meantime thanks to everyone within the Ireland set-up for some stirring performances and great memories.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
