For the second consecutive day, rain played spoilsport in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup bringing curtains to two sides that had the will but not the luck to succeed. After Zimbabwe bowed out mainly due to rain, it was Ireland’s bad luck that saw them being edged out despite restricting the spirited English for mere 120 runs at Guyana on Tuesday. While Ireland failed to live up to their promise, England qualified for the Super Eights following the no-result washout.
It was a bad day for Ireland, who on their last trip to the Caribbean stunned Pakistan in the World Cup and were on their way to achieve a similar victory by restricting England to 120 for eight. The day once again belonged to former Irish cricketer and current English batsman Eoin Morgan who once again top-scored for his team with 45 valuable runs. For the second time in as many days and innings, Morgan found support at the other end in the form of Luke Wright while rest of the side failed to reach double figures. Wright made 20 runs and besides the openers was the only one who crossed 10. England will now have to worry more about their batsmen’s form as both Kevin Pietersen and skipper Collingwood fell cheaply.
In a stand of 41 with Wright, former Irishman Morgan revived England’s fortune with some typically innovative shots before being dismissed in the final over. His 37 ball stay featured five fours and gave England total the respectability it lacked t one time.
For Ireland, opening bowlers Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnson were the top bowlers. Not only did they apply breaks on their opponents scoring but also motivated the other bowlers to do something out of the ordinary, and they did just that. They tamed the English team mainly due to calculated bowling by their Australia-born pacer Trent Johnston who took one wicket for 14 runs. Kevin O'Brien also chipped in with2 wickets for 22.
The tension reached the English camp even in the second innings as they feared a second dose of Duckworth-Lewis misery as soon as rain disrupted play early in the Irish innings. But as luck was with the men in blue, the downpour and the rules worked in their favour, making the match a no-result affair and providing England the one point they required to qualify.
The same Duckworth-Lewis method, that was criticized after England lost to the West Indies despite scoring 191 runs, saved England as they went through on superior run-rate. Ireland, who also lost to the hosts in their opening match paid dearly for their 70-run defeat where they were bowled out for a record tournament low of 68.
For the second consecutive day, rain was the winner and cricket the loser as continuous downpour meant the match failed to reach the five-over limit after which the run rates are compared to decide the winner. Instead, Ireland managed just 14 for one off 3.3 overs, taking the game towards eventual abandonment.
It was a cruel end for Ireland's Twenty20 World Cup as they deserved better treatment after forcing England to scrap for each and every run. They would have been set a target of 61 in nine overs had rain stopped but it didn’t happen. England inched into the Super Eights despite winning a single match and now look forward to starting their Super Eight campaign against either defending champions Pakistan or Australia in Barbados on Thursday. The eventual opponent will be decided after the crucial match between Australia and Bangladesh today.
England are in dire straits as they have lost their yesterday’s encounter against West Indies. They are also not in a good shape mentally as rain played a big part in England's loss.
They will have to overcome their disappointment as they locks horn with Ireland in a winner takes all encounter. Both the team have to win today in order to qualify for the next round and though England are the stronger opponent going into this match but I still feel Ireland can surely stun them.
What England doesn’t need today is the rain disrupting their run again. If the rain gods didn’t played a part in yesterday’s match then England was looking like a winner even after West Indies started their proceedings well.
The team needs to put that same performance today. Michael Lumb and Craid Kieswetter were impressive and England crowd will love to see him blasting the Irish attack today.
Kevin Pietersen and Collingwood may not have to come down today if the opening pair gets their act right. Youngster Eoin Morgan and Luke Wright had a great match against the host and I hope they continue with their good form against their neighbors. The England bowling couldn’t do much in the last game and I hope the likes of Sidebottom, Swann and Broad would turn the things around for their team. I would have loved to see Jimmy Anderson playing today but i think England will play with an unchanged squad.
Meanwhile Ireland has got nothing to loose and they should play their heart out to win this match. They have slay big giants like Pakistan in the last World Cup and they can surely do it today going by the fact that both the neighbors play in a pretty similar style and knows each other well.
Niall O’ Brien is again my bet for this match along with his brother Kevin and Captain William Porterfield they needs to get their act right. The likes of Alex Cusack, Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson are still left to prove their mettle and hope they do it today. Ireland has to attack their neighbors through their bowling. They did well against West Indies and I am sure that the likes of Boyd Rankin, George Dockrell and Andre Botha will play an important part as they are the ones who can make a big difference in today’s match.
Ireland suffered a setback in their preparations for the World Twenty20 as they slumped to a nine-wicket thrashing at the hands of Trinidad and Tobago. Ireland fell to 90 all out and the home side raced to their target in just 7.1 overs ten days before the start of the tournament.
Gary Wilson top-scored for Ireland with 37 in a poor batting display, but the next best was Trent Johnston's 16 as the spinners proved too much to handle. Legspinner Samuel Badree opened the bowling as he often does in Twenty20 and removed Paul Stirling, while Sherwin Ganga's offspin collected three lower-order scalps as the innings fell away with 17 ball unused.
Trinidad and Tobago wasted no time in knocking off the runs as William Perkins and Lendl Simmons sped to an opening stand of 88. Boyd Rankin, feeling his way back after injury, was dispatched for 40 from his two overs as the openers cleared the boundary seven times between them.
Ireland will have a chance to make amends when the two teams meet again on Friday. Their first match of the World Twenty20 is on the opening day of the tournament against West Indies in Guyana.
Ireland must beat at least one of two Test-playing teams if they are to reach the second stage of a top-tier International Cricket Council tournament for the third time in successive attempts. They are pooled with England and West Indies in Group D of the World Cup.
England and ICC World Twenty20 hosts West Indies have their vulnerabilities, of course, but neither has the look of a soft touch for the Irish in Guyana.
Even so, Ireland coach Phil Simmons is full of optimism as he prepares his squad for another assignment in which progress beyond their two group matches will lead many to conclude they have once again over-achieved.
Simmons is making no fancy predictions. But there is a confidence in his voice as he notes Twenty20, more so than either of the other two international formats, presents the best opportunity for a shock result.
There is fair reason too for his faith in the ability of a group of players still largely staffed by those who exceeded all reasonable expectations on their last high-profile Caribbean foray, when they reached the Super Eights stage of the World Cup - something which proved beyond, among others, the sub-continent powerhouses of India and Pakistan.
There was no place for Ireland in the 2007/08 World Twenty20 in South Africa. But once again in England last summer - in a renewal of that competition, billed confusingly as the inaugural staging - Ireland were still in there with a say when only six matches remained.
Former West Indies batsman Simmons was in charge then, having succeeded Adrian Birrell after the 2007 campaign - and he is sure Ireland are becoming increasingly well equipped to take advantage in a cricket sprint which gives them and other aspiring nations a fighting chance of beating the big boys.
"I think it's easier to pull off a shock in Twenty20 because recovery time is less than in 50 overs," he said.
"We have played that little bit more Twenty20 than we had going into the last World Cup - so we are slightly wiser about Twenty20 cricket.
"That has to be a good thing."
There are other handy factors in Ireland's favour too.
Several of the squad - World Cup captain Trent Johnston, his successor Will Porterfield among them - will have good memories of the Caribbean, although England were among the victors as Ireland drew a blank in three matches in Guyana three years ago.
There is also a helpful blend of continuity - through the likes of all-rounder Johnston, opener Porterfield, the O'Brien brothers and fast bowler Boyd Rankin - and emerging talent such as teenage batsman Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson - wicketkeeper-batsman Niall O'Brien's capable understudy.
A clutch of the above have the know-how and confidence which comes with county cricket pedigrees, as well as the international expeditions, on their CVs.
Their two opponents this time round ensure there is evident extra motivation, as if any were required.
Porterfield, O'Brien et al have the chance to prove themselves against England's luminaries - taking on the best talent available to the country where the Irishmen ply their trade as professionals.
It goes without saying too that for Trinidad-born Simmons, pitting his wits against the West Indies in the Caribbean will be a special occasion.
Simmons discounts, meanwhile, that there are any complications his team could do without during Ireland's ongoing attempt to convince the ICC they are ready for a step up the ladder towards full member status.
Yes, the pressure is on; but that is inevitable on these occasions.
"The stakes are always high, whenever you are taking on these full member top teams with a chance to show you are improving," Simmons points out.
"It's not something we even think about. We just go out to play as well as we can and make sure we take our opportunities."
Simmons is not about to get too carried away either by the kudos which would come for Ireland if they could somehow get the better of two such appropriate group opponents.Irrespective of his and his team's connections with both, Simmons is delighted with a draw which keeps Ireland apart from champions Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and South Africa - at least until the latter stages of the tournament.
"It's nice (for me) to be playing in the West Indies and for the players to be taking on England too," he concedes.
"But this is the group we would have taken too; we are happy with that.
"From our point of view, it is about trying to improve our performance every time we take on teams at this level - and Twenty20 is no different.
"It is a format we are not experienced in, but we have to keep picking things up as we go and make sure we use them."
Saturday, April 10, 2010
2:56 AM
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West Indies’ International Cricket Council World Twenty20 Championship Group D opponents Ireland, are one of two international teams that will make Trinidad and Tobago their base for preparation ahead of the tournament which bowls off on April 30.
Afghanistan are the other team that will be in T&T and both are scheduled to be in action at Queen’s Park Oval during the local Carib Shield Twenty20 tournament quarter-final matches from April 20-23.
Ireland, who will be coached by former T&T and West Indies cricketer Phil Simmons, join the regional team and England in Group D, while Afghanistan join South Africa and India in Group C.
West Indies face Ireland in their opening match of the ICC T20 competition on April 30 in Guyana, while Afghanistan take on India in their first match on May 1 in St Lucia.
This will be Ireland’s second stint in T&T before a major tournament, following their stay here ahead of the ICC World Cup in 2007 when they reached the second round of the competition and finished second in Group D which also included West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
This will be Afghanistan’s first appearance in a global tournament and they will be confident following their qualification campaign which culminated in them chasing down 494 to beat Canada in the Intercontinental Cup qualifier.
Both teams arrive in Trinidad next weekend.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
7:41 AM
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Ireland will make their second consecutive appearance at T20 World Cup to be held in West Indies later this year. Ireland made their T20 World Cup debut in 2009 where they qualified for Super 8s group.
This year, Ireland made it to World Cup by reaching final of ICC T20 qualifier tournament held in Dubai. They eventually lost the final to Afghanistan but got the ticket to WC as a result of their appearance in final.
Ireland Squad
William Porterfield (capt), Peter Connell, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Gary Kidd, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.
