The Pakistan Under 15 team knew all about Ireland long before this historic match took place at the famous Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday and they did something their senior team failed to do in the Cricket World Cup last year, they beat us! There’s no doubt the profile of Irish cricket across the world has been raised considerably by Adi Birrell’s Caribbean heroes so there was never any chance that Pakistan was going to approach this match with anything other than total focus and determination. And that’s exactly the way they played from start to finish with an impressive display of bowling, batting and fielding. And what a talented squad they have, perhaps understandable coming from a major cricket nation where millions of people play the sport.
This tournament was always going to be a tough baptism into world cricket for the spirited young Irish players but the way they have adapted to the Caribbean conditions has been a credit to their professionalism and to their management team. Barely 48 hours in Barbados they had a practice match against the local Under 15 squad and then two days later they came face to face with Pakistan in their opening match of this inaugural knockout tournament.
Ireland batted first but they were soon reeling against the Pakistan pace attack but worse was to follow when the spinners entered the fray. There’s no shortage of quality spin bowlers in Pakistan if this squad is the benchmark, and Ashan Jamil (3 for 6) looks a class act and a name for the future. This tournament will include stars that will become household names in future years so it will be interesting to watch their progress into the senior ranks. Man-of-the-Match Jamil ensured Ireland didn’t reach 100 despite the efforts of Jason van der Merwe (25) and Shane Getkate (23) and when they later took the field the Irish bowlers had an impossible task defending a modest 99 runs. That uphill task became a mountain to climb when several catches were spilled, the most crucial one in the first over!
Overall the Irish fielding was patchy and several of the bowlers struggled to find the right line. In comparison, Pakistan made the most of their good fortune and eased to an eight wickets win in the 21st. over.
Although disappointed, the Ireland team will have learned a lot from this experience and will be in a much stronger position for the league series that starts later in the week in Trinidad. But there are no easy games at this level and coaches Brian Doherty, Ryan Haire and Brian Galley will clearly want to reflect on the positives rather than the negatives of the Barbados matches, and in particular the Pakistan game, as this team has the ability and the class to go on and be the eventual winners.
A number of Ireland supporters gave the team spirited support (but stayed their distance) while one of the local members of the organizing committee Carl Broome offered his support and recalled some happy years living in Northern Ireland while working in the services. Carl played at Cooke and Lisburn Cricket Clubs and never tires of recalling some happy summers in Ulster cricket.
Now it’s off to the famous Queen’s Park Oval and another chapter in this wonderful experience that will stay with these young sportsmen all their lives. After all, it’s not everyone that gets the chance to play at such famous cricket grounds and to meet a bevy of cricket superstars that included Sir Everton Weekes, Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge.
Happy days and more to come!
Clarence Hiles
Editor
