…and nobody will know that better than the players themselves! You don’t get many opportunities to topple a major test nation, and after bowling and fielding superbly, it was our batting that was found wanting when the chips were down. But despite all those shocking shots there were plenty of positives, not least the ability to compete at this level, and for so long we looked to have the measure of the current Ashes Trophy holders.
Some people may lament the rash shots that threw wickets away when a steady head was required, or John Mooney’s amazing dance up the wicket, but these guys will learn from the experience and draw from it in years to come. Perhaps none more so than young Paul Sterling who was superb in the gathering gloom of a miserable day, that saw several hours play lost to rain. And at the other end of the age spectrum, big Trent Johnston celebrated his 100th Irish appearance with a scintillating bowling performance and a cameo with the bat that took the match to the final ball. Had Eoin Morgan not thwarted that six in the dying minutes maybe he would have got the fairytale finish he so richly deserved. As it was, his Man-of-the-Match Award was fully deserved and while Paul Collingwood lamented the wet conditions, that levelled the playing field, he could have been a little more complimentary to the local groundstaff who did a magnificent job in getting the game played at all. Mind you, if you haven’t got it in your personality then it is hardly going to come out!
Overall the weather made it a miserable day for normal cricket, and for once the forecasters got it right as the rain arrived spot on time at the end of the England innings. And as the rain pelted down, the prospect of chasing down 203 runs in fifty overs quickly disappeared as hundreds of spectators headed home, but the ‘loyalists’ were rewarded with a 116 runs target in twenty overs, and for eight of them it looked like game, set and match for Cricket Ireland. Then Paul Sterling got out, the skies darkened, and with the exception of Trent Johnston and Kyle McCallan, we lost the plot. What a pity for the Cricket Ireland set-up, but let’s move on and learn from the experience.
It may have been damp outside, but the hospitality tent was bustling, and while hundreds of corporate guests were wined and dined in style, the promoters got an interesting insight into the commercial potential of top class cricket if the opposition is right. Certainly the appearance of Sir Ian Botham as guest speaker was an additional attraction, but Botham the cricketer and Botham the guest speaker are chalk and cheese. His low-key answers to some mundane questions passed the time during the rain delay, but they didn’t tell us much more than we already knew about his pedantic views on the current state of test cricket. He certainly earned his money easily on this showing, and wasted little time in heading off as soon as the rain stopped. Botham’s a dinosaur in current cricket and quite boring most of the time. Thankfully Sean Cromie provided a more entertaining cameo that lifted the spirits of the guests, and with former Ireland captain Alan Lewis in the audience the promoters lost an opportunity of a question and answer session with one of the top referees in international rugby. But the beer flowed swiftly and afternoon tea arrived just in time as the rain stopped and the revised match re-started the cricket action.
Alas, it was to prove a disappointing 90 minutes of action and in the gathering gloom of a dull wet evening in Belfast, the prospect of a memorable Irish victory was washed away with a series of rash shots that didn’t do justice to the fighting spirit of Paul Stirling and Trent Johnston.
Irish cricket will live to fight another day, and the administrators deserve a lot of praise for their promotion of the match in the face of some terrible weather.
A win would have been the icing on the cake!
Clarence Hiles
Editor
