Ireland's cricket team will be once again looking to make their mark on the world stage on St Patrick's Day - a full seven years after they shocked Pakistan in Jamaica in the 2007 World Cup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Oo1dAh6HQ
This time the Boys in Green will be taking on Zimbabwe in Sylhet, Bangladesh in the preliminary group B of the ICC World Twenty20 competition. They will then face fellow associate nations UAE and the Netherlands on March 19 and 21.
The tournament will be the latest landmark in the second golden age of the sport in Ireland. It will be the team's sixth world finals in a row since they brashly announced their existence to the world in 2007. That year they reached the final eight, having overcome Pakistan and earning a tie against Zimbabwe. A victory over Bangladesh followed in the Super Eight stage. Back then, the extra four weeks in the Caribbean that the second round required was a bonus for players and fans alike, but now the squad is made up of players playing professionally in England, and others who are contracted to Cricket Ireland.
Ireland were taken altogether more seriously in 2011 - the victory over England in Bangalore is now as much a part of Irish sporting folklore for cricket fans as Stuttgart 1988, or Croke Park in 2007. They were unfortunate to progress that time, and were not helped by a more gruelling group stage than in 2007.
In their infinite wisdom, the world governing body, the ICC, rewarded these exploits by deciding that only full members - the world's top ten - would be invited to the 2015 edition in Australia and New Zealand. Sense was eventually seen, and Ireland easily qualified again, earning another date at the top table next year, and increasing the volume of the calls for full membership.
In between these 50-over World Cup appearances, the Boys in Green have appeared at three consecutive World Twenty20 tournaments after missing out on the inaugural event in 2009. The three-hour games are far more viewer-friendly for the casual fan, and usually feature more big-hitting antics than the longer ODI and Test formats.
Ireland will miss all-rounder John Mooney who has taken a break from the game due to a stress-related illness, but have the hero of Bangalore Kevin O'Brien, as well as the highly-experienced Ed Joyce and young left-arm spinner George Dockrell. Opening pair Paul Stirling and captain William Porterfield have also done major damage to top sides.
Ireland earned their place in the competition in fine style by winning the qualifying tournament in Dubai for the second time in a row, powering past Afghanistan in the final, just as in 2012. The Afghans are in Group A with hosts Bangladesh, Nepal and surprise qualifiers Hong Kong. The winners of groups A and B will progress to the Super 10, two five-team groups where the world's top eight sides await them.
Head coach Phil Simmons believes that this two-tier structure might actually benefit his side. “I don’t subscribe to the view that it’s not good to have to go through what some see as another qualifying hurdle,” he said. “In the last two World T20s we have played only one completed game, and suffered two wash-outs.
“This way, if we win the group we’ll have played three matches as well as two warm-ups in Bangladesh which would give us a serious advantage in terms of acclimatisation against Full Members and the chance of getting them cold before they adapt."
Bangladesh, with their incessantly loud local support, will be looking to progress from group B despite the best efforts of Afghanistan, whereas Ireland's group is a more open affair. Should Ireland progress, they'll go into Group 1 alongside South Africa, Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand.
Progression to the semi-final stage is an understandably tall order, but Ireland have run England close in this format before - in the 2010 World T20, Ireland were on the verge of knocking England out when the Guyana rain saved Paul Collingwood's men. Both teams finished level on one point, but England progressed on net run rate and went on to win the tournament - their only international trophy to date.
The Irish are fresh from a month playing in the Caribbean domestic T20, followed by a One-Day International and two T20s against the West Indies national team. the 50-over game did not go exactly to plan for Ireland, but the T20 series was a worthwhile preparation against the reigning short-form world champions.
In the first game, a shocked West Indies were bowled out for 116, which Ireland reached in the final over. Four days later, in a bowling performance which will give them much heart, Ireland held the Windies to just 96 in the second T20, but failed to chase down the meagre total and claim the series against the odds - something which would have further backed up Ireland's assertion that they are on the wrong side of international cricket's glass ceiling.
Simmons, himself a former West Indies test player, was pleased with what he saw on the trip: “We had a great experience in the West Indies and it’s a measure of how far the team has come in seven years that we and the fans are disappointed because we could not quite claim a series win against the World T20 champions... We’ve put in a lot of hard work in the West Indies and will continue that preparation in Dubai."
The women's tournament takes place in Bangladesh at the same time, and sees Ireland make their bow at a women's international tournament for the first time They booked their place by beating their Dutch rivals in the playoff of the qualifying competition held in Dublin last summer. It promises to be a tough assignment for the tournament debutantes, but they have been making steady progress under new coach, and former men's team hero Trent Johnston.
They were given an added morale boost last the weekend when Olympic hurdler Derval O'Rourke stopped by to present the squad with their World Cup jerseys. Said Johnston: “I wanted to do something special for the ladies, this World Cup is special to them, they have worked hard and deserved a night like that with partners and family. To get a person of Derval’s stature to present them with their World Cup jerseys is an honour and a massive thanks to her.” Ireland kick off their campaign against New Zealand on March 25.
The Ireland men's squad:
William Porterfield (captain), (Warwickshire), Alex Cusack (Clontarf), George Dockrell (Somerset), Ed Joyce (Sussex), Andrew McBrine (Donemana), Tim Murtagh (Middlesex), Kevin O’Brien (Railway Union), Niall O’Brien (Leicestershire), Andrew Poynter (Clontarf), Max Sorensen (The Hills), James Shannon (Instonians), Paul Stirling (Middlesex), Stuart Thompson (Eglinton), Gary Wilson (Surrey), Craig Young (Bready).
Group B
March 17 v. Zimbabwe – Sylhet (9.30am Irish Time)
March 19 v. UAE – Sylhet (1.30pm Irish Time)
March 21 v. Netherlands – Sylhet (9.30am Irish Time)
Should Ireland progress, they will enter ‘Super 10’ Group 1.
Group 1
March 24 v. Sri Lanka – Chittagong (1.30pm Irish Time)
March 27 v. South Africa – Chittagong (9.30am Irish Time)
March 29 v. New Zealand – Chittagong (9.30am Irish Time)
March 31 v. England – Chittagong (9.30am Irish Time)
