Ireland have made one change to their squad for their Intercontinental Cup clash with Scotland at Aberdeen next month.
17 year old Malahide and Warwickshire seamer Shane Getkate replaces Peter Connell in the 13 man squad.
17 year old Malahide and Warwickshire seamer Shane Getkate replaces Peter Connell in the 13 man squad.
Explaining the decision to omit Connell, coach Phil Simmons said, “From my point of view his attitude has dropped as far as the team and the game is concerned. I need to see that he’s back to where he was at towards the beginning of last year. I want people to realise just how nice it is to be involved with this squad and not take it for granted.”
Was this a wake up call for Connell? “It’s that for now. Sometimes when people don’t play, their focus and attitude can drop. I know it can be difficult, but people have got to be strong and show the right determination to prove to me they should be included.”
How did Connell react to the news that he’d been left out of the squad? “He’s obviously disappointed. He’s asked me what he needs to do to get back into the fold, and that he’s going to work doubly hard to get back into contention. That’s exactly what a coach wants to hear. I didn’t think he bowled well in the ICup match with Kenya at Eglinton, so we’re examining other options. He’s going to play in the ‘A’ team at Lord’s against MCC, so that’s where he’ll start the process of getting back into the team.”
Connell’s loss is obviously Getkate’s gain. What has impressed Simmons about the youngster? “I’ve watched quite a bit of our young seam bowling talent over the past month at both the Under 19 and 17 European Championships and he’s the one who has impressed me most. His fitness, strength and pace has improved, and it’s a great opportunity for him to see what’s there for him. Indeed, for all the seamers, I want to see who wants it the most. Who is prepared to put in the hard work and push for a place in the squad. In the next 18 months or so we have a World Cup coming up, and I want people to prove to me they should be included. Let’s give everybody a sight of what’s on offer, and see who responds best to the challenge.”
Did Simmons feel that Getkate had the potential to become a regular in the Ireland side? “I definitely think he has. He hasn’t made the most of his batting talent, and that’s something we’ll look to correct. He has the main attributes that you need to bowl at the top level. He’s got good pace for a 17 year old, and he’s hitting the gloves very hard. He’s got a top yorker and his slower ball is improving all the time. He’s shown to me that he’s prepared to put in the hard work. He’s improved considerably over the past year, and he’s going to get even stronger and better.”
Ireland will once again be captained by Kyle McCallan, with county players William Porterfield, Niall O’Brien and Boyd Rankin unavailable for the tie.
The squad in full is as follows:
Kyle McCallan (Captain) (Waringstown), Andre Botha (North County), Jeremy Bray (The Hills), Andrew Britton (Fox Lodge), Alex Cusack (Clontarf), Shane Getkate (Malahide), Trent Johnston (Railway Union), Kevin O’Brien (Railway Union), Paul Stirling (Carrickfergus), Andrew Poynter (Clontarf), Regan West (CSN), Andrew White (Instonians), Gary Wilson (Surrey).
Was this a wake up call for Connell? “It’s that for now. Sometimes when people don’t play, their focus and attitude can drop. I know it can be difficult, but people have got to be strong and show the right determination to prove to me they should be included.”
How did Connell react to the news that he’d been left out of the squad? “He’s obviously disappointed. He’s asked me what he needs to do to get back into the fold, and that he’s going to work doubly hard to get back into contention. That’s exactly what a coach wants to hear. I didn’t think he bowled well in the ICup match with Kenya at Eglinton, so we’re examining other options. He’s going to play in the ‘A’ team at Lord’s against MCC, so that’s where he’ll start the process of getting back into the team.”
Connell’s loss is obviously Getkate’s gain. What has impressed Simmons about the youngster? “I’ve watched quite a bit of our young seam bowling talent over the past month at both the Under 19 and 17 European Championships and he’s the one who has impressed me most. His fitness, strength and pace has improved, and it’s a great opportunity for him to see what’s there for him. Indeed, for all the seamers, I want to see who wants it the most. Who is prepared to put in the hard work and push for a place in the squad. In the next 18 months or so we have a World Cup coming up, and I want people to prove to me they should be included. Let’s give everybody a sight of what’s on offer, and see who responds best to the challenge.”
Did Simmons feel that Getkate had the potential to become a regular in the Ireland side? “I definitely think he has. He hasn’t made the most of his batting talent, and that’s something we’ll look to correct. He has the main attributes that you need to bowl at the top level. He’s got good pace for a 17 year old, and he’s hitting the gloves very hard. He’s got a top yorker and his slower ball is improving all the time. He’s shown to me that he’s prepared to put in the hard work. He’s improved considerably over the past year, and he’s going to get even stronger and better.”
Ireland will once again be captained by Kyle McCallan, with county players William Porterfield, Niall O’Brien and Boyd Rankin unavailable for the tie.
The squad in full is as follows:
Kyle McCallan (Captain) (Waringstown), Andre Botha (North County), Jeremy Bray (The Hills), Andrew Britton (Fox Lodge), Alex Cusack (Clontarf), Shane Getkate (Malahide), Trent Johnston (Railway Union), Kevin O’Brien (Railway Union), Paul Stirling (Carrickfergus), Andrew Poynter (Clontarf), Regan West (CSN), Andrew White (Instonians), Gary Wilson (Surrey).
