...in their final ICC World Twenty20 warm up game yesterday.
“We’ve been improving steadily over the 3 games, and I think Nobby (Niall O’Brien) showed that we can score runs at this level. I thought it was a great knock and a perfect example of how to bat in this form of the game. We’ve got to have the belief and confidence to play positively and not be in awe of any of our opponents.”
“Our preparations have gone well, and it’s now a case of fine tuning certain aspects of our game over the next 3 days. It’ll be about reinforcing the lads confidence that we have the ability to post a match winning total in this form of the game. I think we’ve picked up our momentum nicely, and that’s encouraging ahead of next week. We’ve bowled and fielded pretty well, and it’s just a case of getting the batting to fire again.”
“This tournament is a great chance for us to showcase Irish cricket again. It’s a big stage, and we want to show that we are capable of mixing it with the top sides. We want to show that the gap is narrowing between ourselves and the ‘big boys’. We haven’t played a lot of Twenty20 cricket, but the last 3 weeks have improved our game enormously, and we’re ready to show the world again just what Irish cricket is capable of.”
Porterfield explained his thinking behind rotating the bowlers in the opening stages of the South Africa defeat. “I just wanted to try a few different variations, and mix it up a bit. We have plans in place and I wanted to see if the guys could execute them. We want to have plenty of variety and different options up our sleeves, and that’s why I opened the bowling with Kevin (O’Brien) and Kyle (McCallan). It’s just something different. Sometimes you’ve got to think outside the box in this format.”
Porterfield was quick to praise the contribution of Regan West, “I thought he bowled superbly both against South Africa and also at Lord’s in the Netherlands game. He’s hit his straps from the very first over, which has often been his problem in the past, taking an over to two to settle into his stride. He’s been a great addition to our team, and adds even more variety.”
