And for journalists like Andrew Nixon to dismiss us for accepting Rankin’s decision and referring to Ireland as an England Development squad, it is somewhat naïve.
Let’s live in the real world and look at the short cricket careers on offer for our top players. Only the very best will reach county standard, and from their midst, only the exceptional will reach test status. The real money in cricket lies in test participation and IPL bashes in India, so the opportunities to reach this level are few and far between. Eoin Morgan made it, and Ed Joyce narrowly missed out, not all to do with his ability, but more to do with circumstances and being in the right place at the right time. About a dozen Irish players are involved in the English county scene, but only Niall O’Brien, William Porterfield and Boyd Rankin are regular players. All three would love to play test cricket, but the only avenue in the foreseeable future is through selection for England, so any opportunity to narrow the gap is a logical step in the right direction. Everyone in the Ireland squad would love to play test cricket and who could blame them?
Modern sport has long since set aside birth and parentage as the sole criteria for representing a country. Big Jack Charlton’s “does your granny come from Ireland” strategy set the tone for things to follow and cricket was no exception. Being able to qualify to play for England opened up the doors for a host of South Africans long before they discovered we played cricket in the Emerald Isle and Ireland also dropped the nationality tag by opting for a new identity under the Cricket Ireland banner. That decision opened doors for both South Africans and Australians to play for Ireland, and I’m sure nobody in either South Africa or Australia worries about their cricket future as a result. The reason is simple-we are minnows in the big picture and although we have made giant strides, it will be years, if ever, until we attain the same bargaining power as the giants in the game. Cricket at the highest level is all about money, television, sponsors, and crowds. It is not about ability or Cricket Ireland would not have to be fighting a rearguard to get into the next World Cup, despite some rousing performances in the past two competitions.
We live in an era when managers and coaches are prepared to look everywhere to get the best players on the field. Where would English football be without foreign players and where would the national cricket team be without them? It’s OK to beat the old nationalistic drum, but it doesn’t pay the bills and it doesn’t take you to the highest level. Who in the right mind would turn down a promotion? Would anyone fault Phil Simmons for taking a better position? Should anyone fault the Cricket Ireland players for looking forward and not backwards?
We should never fault any Ireland player for accepting a modest invitation to play for England Lions, and I’m sure every single Irish cricket follower looks at Eoin Morgan’s scores before any other. If our best reach the highest level that has to be good for cricket and more and more of our young players will step into the breach. Good luck to them all and especially to big Boyd who will have an excellent opportunity next Thursday to show everyone how good he is when he faces the top test team in the world in Dublin.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
