The tall Middlesex county player has just received his Irish passport and everyone expected his selection for the Twenty20 World Cup Qualifiers next month to be a formality, but surprisingly the new recruit has only been named as a bowling reserve.
On the face of it Murtagh’s exclusion shows remarkable loyalty from the selectors to a tightly knit squad that has continued to perform admirably at the top of their trade for several years. But there will be many armchair selectors who will feel that loyalty is a luxury aspiring countries like Ireland can’t afford if they are to maintain their momentum at the top of the Associate Cricket nations. The Ireland squad looks strong, but they can expect stiff opposition in UAE and Murtagh’s presence may have been a huge fillip for their campaign. He has certainly more pace than most of the other seamers in the 14-man squad and, with considerable county experience, he would have strengthened the pace attack. The Hills all-rounder Max Sorensen got the nod in front of Murtagh, but let’s hope the decision doesn’t come back to haunt us.
Another omission was wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien. Perhaps this decision was predictable given O’Brien’s decision to play in the lucrative Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 competition, but once again has the heart ruled the head with this decision? OK, perhaps O’Brien saw remuneration as a bigger priority than the matches against Kenya, but there is no doubt the experience he will gain in Bangladesh playing against some of the world’s best players will also be a huge asset to him going forward. Gary Wilson substituted for O’Brien against Kenya and made a couple of errors that could have been crucial, but in the end Ireland scrambled home on the back of some excellent spin bowling from George Dockrell and Albert van der Merwe after a mediocre batting display. But once again the selectors have taken an unusual decision and omitted the inform van der Merwe.
Murtagh will get his chance in due course and the future looks glossy for Albert after his fine display on a friendly Mombasa track, but surely coach Phil Simmons must find a way to bring O’Brien back into the fray. The feisty Northants wicketkeeper-batsman has been an integral part of the Ireland set-up for almost a decade and there are few better fighters when the chips are down. Noby brings another level of grit and determination to the squad and, while his abrasive combative personality does not endear himself to the opposition, it has added steel when needed in tight situations. He’s a hard act to replace, and long-term, it is not in Ireland’s interests to exclude him.
If there is one thing that the selections have highlighted then it is the strength of the current Ireland squad, and with three high calibre players waiting in the wings then the selected squad will need to be at their best to keep them on the fringe. There’s little room for sentiment in professional sport and down the line Ireland will need to play their best players in every match in their push for higher honours.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
