DotBalls: The Irish Cricket Blog

T20 Player Ratings v West Indies

2010-05-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

A hugely disappointing opening result for Ireland as they lost to West Indies by 70 runs in Group D.

William Porterfield
Porterfield started strongly with a boundary, but the Irish captain lasted just two balls last night. Much more is needed from our opening batsman.
Rating: 4

Paul Stirling
A lot is expected from the Irish youngster, but he failed to live up to expectations yesterday, scoring no runs from four balls. His bowling was also sub-par, as he gave 15 runs in just two overs.
Rating: 2

Niall O'Brien
The Irish wicket-keeper was very aggressive with the bat again, and as usual, this led to his early demise. He'll always guarantee a high strike rate, but can be inconsistent with regards to runs scored. Made two impressive catches behind also.
Rating: 4

Alex Cusack
One of many who were ousted by the partnership of Sammy and Rampaul, Cusack was very poor with the bat. His stint with the ball was better, taking 2 wickets for 19 in 3 overs. One of the better performers, but his batting needs to vastly improve.
Rating: 5

Gary Wilson
Ireland's best batsman yesterday, with a high score of 17. A good attempt, but in this format, a higher strikerate is needed. Made a momentous catch to take out Chanderpaul. Ireland's second best player yesterday.
Rating: 7

Kevin O'Brien
Incredibly poor with the ball, and thus allowed just one over. However, he was the second highest scorer with the bat. This was a game that neither O'Brien brother will want to remember.
Rating: 4

Trent Johnston
One to forget for the big man Johnston too. He scored 5 runs from 10 balls with the bat, which was decent considering the other performances yesterday, but was far from impressive bowling. Allowed 9 runs per over, a rate which needs to be dramatically reduced.
Rating: 3

John Mooney
LBWed after just three balls, Mooney made no impression whatsoever on the game. After this performance, I would not be surprised if he is dropped for the England match.
Rating: 2

Andre Botha
Ireland's only batsman who wasn't taken out by the fantastic West Indies bowlers, Botha scored just four runs from 11 balls. His bowling was very good, ending on 2-7 from two overs. Expect him to be given more time with the ball against England.
Rating: 7

Boyd Rankin
Took two wickets for an average economy, Rankin was decent yesterday. The expulsion of Chanderpaul was his highlight. Came up against Sammy, and was never a match, scoring just a single run.
Rating: 6

George Dockrell
Ireland's best player yesterday. The bowler was never expected to do anything with the bat, so his duck seems irrelevant. 3-16 is far from irrelevant, his four allotted overs were Ireland's finest moment yesterday. We need everyone to perform like this to get anything from our final group game.
Rating: 8

Ireland v West Indies World T20 Match Report

2010-05-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

Ireland opened their 2010 ICC World Twenty20 campaign with a disappointing loss to cricket giants West Indies late last night. West Indies won by 70 runs with just under four overs remaining via a stellar performance from Darren Sammy.

West Indies won the toss and chose to bat. Irish captain William Porterfield had hoped that he would get the choice to bat first, but it was not to be. He had also said that his aim was to keep the home side to under 140 runs, a feat which was narrowly achieved.

Irish bowling was sluggish at times, Trent Johnston and Niall O'Brien gave away too many runs for little reward. However when Boyd Rankin bowled opener Chanderpaul in the third over, things were looking positive for Ireland. Rankin also took out wicketkeeper Ramdin, but the stars with the ball were Andre Botha and 17 year-old George Dockrell. Dockrell was wonderful yesterday, ending with a marvellous 4-16 from 24 balls.

139 was not a huge target to meet, requiring 7 runs per over, but Ireland's stint at bat yesterday was the worst of recent years, with only one player reaching double figures. The West Indies have Darren Sammy to thank for such an impressive performance. He was not only the highest scorer with the bat, but took 3 wickets for just 8 runs, as well as making four catches. Also impressive with the ball were Ravi Rampaul, and the legend Dwayne Bravo.

Gary Wilson was the best of the Irish batters with 19, and Niall O'Brien was very aggressive making 6 runs, but overall the performance was one to forget. Ireland ended with a score of 68, the second lowest total ever at the World Twenty20. We will need to be a million times better if we are to do anything against England on Tuesday.

Craig Young signs for Sussex

2010-03-03T02:10:00.000-08:00

Ireland under-19 international Craig Young has signed a one-year deal with English County side Sussex, after impressing at a training camp with the club in Dubai. The bowler had gone for a trial with the English side before being invited to participate in the training camp.

Young was one of Ireland's most impressive players at the Under-19 World Cup in January, taking nine wickets in all. His best performance came against Zimbabwe, scoring 4-14. Young had been playing with Bready in the NW League, but is now moving on to bigger pastures.

He said "I got news that I was being offered a contract following my time with them in Dubai. I'm delighted, and hopefully it'll work out for me. I'll be going over shortly for pre-season, and they'll be in touch with Ireland to see what my likely commitments will be during the summer. After they speak with them, a plan will be drawn up which will hopefully work for everybody."

Fixtures: Ireland v Bangladesh ODIs in June

2010-03-02T02:14:00.000-08:00

Cricket Ireland has announced that Bangladesh will be playing two ODIs against Ireland at Stormont in June. The matches will take place on Thursday June 15th and Friday June 16th. Bangladesh have also lined up matches against England, Scotland and Netherlands during their European trip.

Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom says that the matches mark the way forward for Ireland: "For the last three years or so, we have targetted matches against the lower-ranked full members as the most important means of measuring our progress and determining our readiness to step up to the elite level. All our players will be aware of the perception that strong results against test-playing countries creates, and will be keen to maximise home advantage to good effect in the year that we are applying to move higher in the international firmament."

Irish coach Phil Simmons added "It’s great that we have a chance to play them on home soil. We lost to them badly in 2008 in Bangladesh but on our home turf I’d be confident of doing well. We have beaten them in both the 2007 World Cup, and in the ICC World Twenty20 last year, so I don’t think there’s much to choose between the two teams. It’s a great opportunity for us to gain valuable ranking points."

2010 ICC World Twenty20 Group Draw

2010-02-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

Not so much a draw, as they groups are ordered according to their ranking. Due to their loss against Afghanistan yesterday, Ireland are placed in Group D alongside England the West Indies. Afghanistan were put in Group C with South Africa and India, and thus may have a better chance of coming second and making the Super Eights. But as you all know, in Twenty20 anything can happen - even a win over England.

(Rankings in brackets.)

GROUP A
Pakistan (1)
Bangladesh (9)
Australia (10)

GROUP B
Sri Lanka (2)
New Zealand (5)
Zimbabwe (8)

GROUP C
South Africa (3)
India (7)
Afghanistan (Q)

GROUP D
West Indies (4)
England (6)
Ireland (Q)

GROUP D FIXTURES
30 April - West Indies v IRELAND
1 May - England v IRELAND
3 May - West Indies v England

Ireland v Scotland T20 Match Report

2010-02-12T01:02:00.000-08:00

Ireland qualified for the Super Fours section of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifying tournament yesterday with a marvellous all-round game of cricket.

Once again Ireland won the toss and chose to bat. Although no Irish batsman scored more than nineteen runs (a score matched by both Andrew White and Gary Wilson), all players but one ended in double figures. This was a fine example of a team performance at bat, with all players having a decent strike rate, and driving Ireland towards their final score of 136/7.

Openers William Porterfield and Niall O'Brien worked well together once more, with a 31 partnership, and scoring 18 and 17 respectively. Perhaps the brief highlight of Irish batting was Kevin O'Brien's marvellous ten off just four balls - a strike rate of 250.00. He was the only Irishman to hit a six yesterday.

Scotland's batting was the opposite of Ireland's, with just two players entering double figures. This was due, once again, to impressive Irish bowling. The Irish bowlers have improved vastly since their opening game, and were fantastic again yesterday, with Scotland all out for 99 in 18.3 overs.

Neil McCallum and Gordon Drummond were the top scorers yesterday (43 and 35), but neither was enough to give Scotland the victory. The Scots were just 6/4 in the second over, thanks to a stellar performance from Peter Connell and Trent Johnston, who took two wickets each in those two overs. That second over would give Johnston the man of the match award, as it was a double wicket maiden - a very rare sight in Twenty20 Cricket.

Johnston also took the wicket of Jan Stander in the fourth over, but the game was very much a team effort, and Alex Cusack, Kevin O'Brien, and George Dockrell (2) also took wickets of their own. The match finished in style, as the last four wickets fell in quick succession, giving the Irish a 37 run victory, and in high spirits heading towards the next stage of the competition.

Ireland take on UAE today in the Super Fours at 12.00 GMT, and will play the Netherlands tomorrow (Saturday) at the same time. If ranked in the top two, they will play the final on Sunday. Both finalists will make it to the ICC World Twenty20 in April, with the winner being inserted in Group C and the loser in Group D.

Ireland v USA T20 Match Report

2010-02-11T07:16:00.000-08:00

Ireland achieved their record high score in Twenty20 Cricket yesterday as they opened with a marvellous 202 (for 4) against the United States of America.

William Porterfield won the toss and chose to bat first. He formed an excellent opening partnership with Niall O'Brien, scoring 83 for first wicket in 8.3 overs, and setting the pace early on. His replacement, Alex Cusack was just as good. Porterfield scored 45 and Cusack 46, but the real star of the innings was O'Brien, who looked destined for his first century at this level. He ended on 84 from 66 balls.

Kevin O'Brien scored three from three, but was once again too aggressive. Trent Johnston and Gary Wilson closed out the innings, scoring 12 and 5 respectively. Ireland ended with 202, a score of 10.10 runs per over.

The United States were always on the back foot and Ireland started amazingly with the ball, with their opponents 11 for 5 after 3.2 overs. Paul Connell and Trent Johnson were amazing, especially Connell with a record score of 4-14. Johnston took the other two wickets, ending with 2-17. The bowling throughout the team was much better than in the opener against Afghanistan, and each of the five bowlers stayed the duration.

American prospect Aditya Thyagarajan was amazing on his debut, but it wasn't to be his day, as the match was totally sewn up by his arrival. He scored a fantastic 72 not out, and is surely one to watch for the future. The player of the game, however, was Niall O'Brien with his astounding 84, which included twelve boundaries, two of which were sixes.

Scorecard:
http://www.cricinfo.com/2010iccwt20/engine/current/match/439502.html

Ireland to play Jamaica ahead of World Twenty20

2010-02-10T01:47:00.000-08:00

Cricket Ireland yesterday announced that Ireland would be taking on Jamaica in April ahead of the World Twenty20 which begins at the end of that month.

Ireland will be competing in a three-day first class match, a one day international, as well as a Twenty20 game. This will be great experience for the Irish side, especially if they can turn things around to qualify for the World Twenty20. If not, it is still a great chance to play a respected side in a variety of matches.

Cricket Ireland's CEO Warren Deutrom had this to say: "Cricket Ireland is excited to be embarking upon this series of matches in the Caribbean against Jamaica and the West Indies. Whether or not we have qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 Cup in the Caribbean, playing against teams of this calibre is exactly what Ireland needs to do in order to both continue its upward curve on the field, and to gain experience of overseas conditions. We are indebted to the foresight of the Jamaica Cricket Association, whose foresight brought about this opportunity."

Kevin O'Brien reaches 100 internationals

2010-02-10T01:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Kevin O'Brien became only the tenth Irish cricketer to reach the milestone of one hundred international caps. He's also the youngest (and fastest) player to reach that mark for Ireland.

The twenty-five year old made his Ireland debut just over three years ago (June 13th, 2006) against England in Belfast. He scored an impressive 35 runs as well as bowling a 1-47 in that fifty-over game. His international highlight so far was a 142 against Kenya at the 2007 World Cricket League, as well as a decent World Cup in 2007.

His last few caps have come in quick succession, having played half a dozen matches in the last fortnight. He said of the occasion, "It's come pretty quickly. By the end of the season I could have 150 . The World Cup in 2007 was, of course, the big memory, beating Pakistan and all that. But the first couple of games against Sussex and England were good also. I performed well. But I love putting on the green jersey and it's going to be good on Tuesday to get a hundred."

Ireland v Afghanistan T20 Match Report

2010-02-09T04:50:00.000-08:00

Afghanistan 139/8 defeated Ireland 126/10.

Ireland sadly slumped to defeat in their opening ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai. They played Afghanistan in Group A, and after winning the toss, chose to field. This was a costly decision, as Afghanistan posted an impressive 139 in the twenty over game.

Ireland started extremely well with Trent Johnston bowling opener Karim Sadiq in the second over. However, Sadiq's partner, Noor Ali proved a much more difficult foe, posting 42 runs off 45 balls. Afghanistan batted very aggressively, losing many wickets to single figures, but the middle order of Mohammad Shahzad, Nowroz Mangal and especially Mohammad Nabi set a high run rate for Ireland to follow. Nabi was man of the match, scoring 43 not out off just 25 balls.

Ireland used six separate bowlers trying to defeat Afghanistan. Trent Johnston and Andre Botha were the best of the Irish, both taking two wickets. Johnston's 2-18 was a very impressive score in his allotted four overs. Kevin O'Brien was expected to bowl four overs, but he gave up twenty runs off just twelve balls, allowing Alex Cusack to get another chance to prove himself. All the Irish bowlers (with the exception of Johnston) will have to raise their game against USA and Scotland if we wish to progress.

The Irish senior cricket team had a target of 140 in 20 overs, which was always a tough challenge. Captain William Porterfield and and young Paul Stirling combined well after Niall O'Brien was caught trying to play aggressively. They put up a partnership of 30, as well as scoring 35 and 21 respectively. Andre Botha lasted just two balls, but scored no runs in a disappointing stint with the bat.

Ireland looked strong even after the loss of Kevin O'Brien and Paul Stirling, but once Alex Cusack was run out chasing the score, Ireland faced a tough challenge - it was a lot to ask of the bowlers to try to win the match. Johnston was the best of the tail, scoring 18 from 17 balls, but the aggressive play led to many mistakes, and Ireland were all out for 126 in the final over.

In the other Group A tie, USA defeated Scotland by 6 wickets. At the moment, Ireland sit bottom of the table with a net run rate of -0.650. Our next game is on at 10.00 GMT tomorrow against USA. Hopefully we can turn it around.

Canada T20 Match Report

2010-02-03T03:32:00.000-08:00

Eighteen year-old Hiral Patel was the hero for Canada as they defeated Ireland by four runs in a tense Twenty20 Cricket match in Sri Lanka at the Associates T20 Series. It was Patel's debut, and his 88 not out set a massive target for Ireland to beat. Ireland won the toss and chose to field, but it could have been an error, as they posted a wonderful 176/3 - a whopping 8.80 runs per over.

Andre Botha was the only Irish players to take any wickets; bowling both Rizwan Cheema and Ashish Bagai, as well as bowling and catching Umar Bhatti with the second last ball. Patel's unbeaten 88, Cheema's 34 and Bagai's 42 set Ireland a large score to overcome. Six other Irish bowlers were used to try and defeat Patel, but his batting was far too strong, scoring eleven boundaries. The Irish bowling economy was disappointing, with Trent Johnston's 6.50 (25 runs from 24 balls) Ireland's best score.

Ireland needed 177 runs from 20 overs, and were constantly playing catch-up. The openers started well - Porterfield and Niall O'Brien had a partnership of 51 for first wicket, in less than five overs. The Irish batsmen had to be very aggressive, and thus mistakes were much more likely. Wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien was Ireland's highest scorer with 50, Gary Wilson made 26, and Paul Stirling 22. Opener Porterfield scored 19, Andre Botha posted 11 runs, and Andrew White was 18 not out. Due to the aggressive nature of the twenty overs, Ireland attempted to go for extra runs at every opportunity. Thus both Kevin O'Brien and John Mooney were run out for 5 and 9 runs respectively. Botha was also run out, trying to meet the required 8.80 runs per over required.

The match went down to the last ball, and if White could have hit a six, Ireland would have won. This morning, that was not to be, and Ireland lost by four runs, ending with an impressive 172/8. On another day, perhaps Ireland would have not had as many run outs and Kevin O'Brien could have stayed batting and significantly helped our cause.

Full Scorecard

Ireland play Sri Lanka A again tomorrow (08:30 GMT) and then take on Canada in a rematch on Sunday at 06:00 GMT.

Afghanistan T20 Match Report

2010-02-02T01:59:00.000-08:00

After losing to Sri Lanka A in their first game, Ireland turned things around to beat Afghanistan in the Associates Twenty20 Series. A marvellous stint at bat from captain William Porterfield was the main reason for Ireland's win, as well as some splendid bowling from Trent Johnston, Andre Botha, and George Dockrell.

Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat at the P Sara Oval in Colombo. They started poorly, with opener Karim Sadiq stumped for three, and although Shafiqullah held on as another wicket was taken, they had four out for just 49 runs, and Ireland looked very much in command. Their star man on the day was Raess Ahmadzai who held on to the end, and scored a very credible 33 not out. Ireland took nine wickets, and Afganistan ended their twenty overs with a makable 121 (6.05 runs per over).

The Irish bowling side was in much better form than against Sri Lanka A, and only five players were utilised, bowling a maximum 4 overs each. Irish cricket legend Trent Johnston started incredibly well, taking out the first three Afghanistan batsmen, and even scoring a maiden over in a phenomenal stint with the ball (he went on to take another wicket, ending with 4-22). Botha took 3 wickets and Dockrell took 2, while Alex Cusack and Kevin O'Brien did only alright, giving away too many runs. Dockrell and Botha were magnificent though, allowing only 11 and 14 runs respectively.

Ireland opened their attack with the same opening duo who played against Sri Lanka A. This time, they were much improved, with Niall O'Brien scoring 18 from 13 balls, and William Porterfield hitting nine boundaries on the way to a very impressive 48 from 30 balls. Ireland were halfway to their target after just 7 overs and looked comfortable until a middle-order batting collapse led to some nervous moments. In just twelve balls, Andre Botha (5 runs), Kevin O'Brien (1), and Paul Stirling (17) were all taken out. However for the second successive match, the duo of John Mooney and Gary Wilson teamed up to close out the match for Ireland. This time however, they were on the winning side. Mooney 8 not out and Wilson 16 not out. Some poor bowling from the Afghanis also allowed thirteen extras, as they used seven different attackers to try and bowl Ireland out. It was not to be, however, as Ireland won with eleven balls remaining.

Ireland take on Canada tomorrow in Colombo as they continue their cricket tour of Sri Lanka. It's on at 04:30 GMT, in case you plan on staying up to keep an eye on it.

Sri Lanka A T20 Match Report

2010-02-02T01:23:00.000-08:00

A solid opening innings from Ireland was not enough to overcome Sri Lanka A on Sunday at the Nondescripts Cricket Ground in Colombo. Ireland batted strongly with five players scoring 20 or more, and opener William Porterfield finishing with a strike rate of 150.00. This was not enough, as an all-round team effort from Sri Lanka won the match with one of the allotted twenty overs remaining.

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field. Ireland's other opener Niall O'Brien, only lasted two and a half overs and eight balls before being caught for six. Luckily, this did not hinder progress too much, as Andre Botha stepped in to take over. Porterfield was lbwed for 24, Botha and Alex Cusack both ended with 20, and Ireland were 91 for 4 after just 12 overs. Andrew White batted extremely well to keep the score and run rate high scoring 39 off 37 balls. Gary Wilson and John Mooney stayed in until the end, with Mooney hitting 3 off 4 balls, and Wilson scoring a marvellous 28 not out (from just 25 balls). Ireland set a score of 147, at 7.35 runs per over.

Sri Lanka's batting collapsed early, and they were only on a score of 54 with five wickets taken after 7.4 overs. However, Seekkugge Presanna, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, and Jeewan Mendis performed magnificently to bring Sri Lanka back from the brink and win the match with just six balls remaining. Presanna's 28 off 15 balls was extremely impressive.

Phil Eaglestone had been been drafted into the Ireland squad to provide extra bite with the ball, and even though he took out opener Milinda Siriwardana, he only lasted two overs, giving away an astonishing 28 runs. Nigel Jones and John Mooney were others who needed to keep their economy down, giving away far too many runs for a Twenty20 cricket match.

Trent Johnston and George Dockrell were the best of the bowlers, taking two wickets each and only allowing 4.33 and 5.00 runs per over. Alex Cusack also bowled well, taking two wickets himself, including the menacing Jayasinghe.

It was not Ireland's day however, as a strong all-round performance gave the hosts victory.

Ireland World Twenty20 Qualifying Squad Announced

2010-01-29T10:17:00.000-08:00

The squads for the World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament in Dubai and Abu Dubai from February 9th to 15th have been announced. Eight teams are battling for two places. The winner of the tournament will be placed in Group C, with the runner-up appearing in Group D alongside England. The World Twenty20 itself takes place in the West Indies from April 30th to May 16th this year.

Ireland's squad includes 13 members from last year's World Twenty20 which was held in England. There Ireland achieved a fantastic result beating Bangladesh in the group stage, and made it to the Super Eights. It's going to be a great summer of cricket if we make it.

Ireland Squad:
Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, Peter Connell, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Gary Kidd, John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Paul Striling, Andrew White, and Gary Wilson.

Ireland U19 World Cup Player Stats

2010-01-29T03:43:00.000-08:00

Ireland came 10th at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, coming 3rd in Group B, and losing out in the Plate Final to Bangladesh. Here is how the players performed at the tournament.

Ben Ackland

Batting
Innings: 4
Runs: 127
Balls faced: 275
Average: 42.33
Strike Rate: 46.18
High Score: 66 v South Africa

Bowling
Overs: 0
Runs: -
Wickets: -
Economy: -
Strike Rate: -
Best score: -

Andrew Balbirnie

Batting
Innings: 5
Runs: 31
Balls faced: 103
Average: 7.75
Strike Rate: 30.09
High Score: 20* v Zimbabwe

Bowling
Overs: 39
Runs: 189
Wickets: 7
Economy: 4.84
Strike Rate: 33.42
Best score: 4-59 v Bangladesh

Jordan Coghlan

Batting
Innings: 1
Runs: 2
Balls faced: 13
Average: 2.00
Strike Rate: 15.38
High Score: 2 v Australia

Bowling
Overs: 18
Runs: 106
Wickets: 2
Economy: 5.88
Strike Rate: 54.00
Best score: 2-62 v Australia

Adrian D'Arcy

Batting
Innings: 1
Runs: 5
Balls faced: 16
Average: 5.00
Strike Rate: 31.25
High Score: 5 v Australia

Bowling
Overs: 0
Runs: -
Wickets: -
Economy: -
Strike Rate: -
Best score: -

George Dockrell

Batting
Innings: 1
Runs: 6
Balls faced: 20
Average: 6.00
Strike Rate: 30.00
High Score: 6 v Australia

Bowling
Overs: 30
Runs: 122
Wickets: 5
Economy: 4.06
Strike Rate: 36.00
Best score: 2-7 v Zimbabwe

Shane Getkate

Batting
Innings: 1
Runs: 4
Balls faced: 32
Average: 4.00
Strike Rate: 12.50
High Score: 4 v Bangladesh

Bowling
Overs: 20
Runs: 129
Wickets: 2
Economy: 6.45
Strike Rate: 60.00
Best score: 2-40 v Zimbabwe

Graeme McCarter

Batting
Innings: 0
Runs: -
Balls faced: -
Average: -
Strike Rate: -
High Score: -

Bowling
Overs: 0
Runs: -
Wickets: -
Economy: -
Strike Rate: -
Best score: -

Graham McDonnell

Batting
Innings: 4
Runs: 90
Balls faced: 120
Average: 45.00
Strike Rate: 75.00
High Score: 35* v USA

Bowling
Overs: 0
Runs: -
Wickets: -
Economy: -
Strike Rate: -
Best score: -

Lee Nelson

Batting
Innings: 5
Runs: 73
Balls faced: 110
Average: 14.60
Strike Rate: 66.36
High Score: 55 v South Africa

Bowling
Overs: 10.1
Runs: 69
Wickets: 3
Economy: 6.78
Strike Rate: 20.33
Best score: 3-3 v USA

Stuart Poynter

Batting
Innings: 4
Runs: 34
Balls faced: 25
Average: 17.00
Strike Rate: 136.00
High Score: 25* v South Africa

Bowling
Overs: 0
Runs: -
Wickets: -
Economy: -
Strike Rate: -
Best score: -

Eddie Richardson

Batting
Innings: 1
Runs: 0
Balls faced: 1
Average: 0.00
Strike Rate: 0.00
High Score: 0 v Bangladesh

Bowling
Overs: 4
Runs: 43
Wickets: 1
Economy: 10.75
Strike Rate: 24.00
Best score: 1-43 v Bangladesh

James Shannon

Batting
Innings: 3
Runs: 3
Balls faced: 27
Average: 1.50
Strike Rate: 11.11
High Score: 2 v Bangladesh

Bowling
Overs: 0
Runs: -
Wickets: -
Economy: -
Strike Rate: -
Best score: -

Paul Stirling

Batting
Innings: 5
Runs: 209
Balls faced: 190
Average: 41.80
Strike Rate: 110.00
High Score: 114 v USA

Bowling
Overs: 37
Runs: 174
Wickets: 3
Economy: 4.70
Strike Rate: 74.00
Best score: 2-42 v South Africa

Stuart Thompson

Batting
Innings: 5
Runs: 79
Balls faced: 136
Average: 15.80
Strike Rate: 58.08
High Score: 27 v USA

Bowling
Overs: 25
Runs: 115
Wickets: 3
Economy: 4.60
Strike Rate: 50.00
Best score: 2-29 v South Africa

Craig Young

Batting
Innings: 2
Runs: 0
Balls faced: 6
Average: 0.00
Strike Rate: 0.00
High Score: 0 v USA

Bowling
Overs: 35
Runs: 166
Wickets: 9
Economy: 4.74
Strike Rate: 23.33
Best score: 4-14 v Zimbabwe

U19 Player Ratings v Bangladesh

2010-01-28T04:25:00.000-08:00

Ireland sadly lost by 195 runs to Bangladesh in the ICC Under 19 World Cup Plate competition - for the best runners up, and essentially came 10th in the World Cup overall. Not a terrible result for Ireland, but it would have been nice to win the Plate after missing out on the quarter finals. Once again, Ireland's batting was not strong enough, and Bangladesh played an all-round better game of cricket in Napier, New Zealand.

Stuart Thompson
Better at the bat from Thompson, scoring 20 runs from 27 balls. He also took one wicket with the ball, allowing 28 runs in 6 overs. A decent finale from the opener.
Rating: 7

Lee Nelson
A hugely disappointing game from Nelson as he was run out for four, and gave away a massive 57 runs from eight overs. We've seen better from him earlier in the competition, and perhaps the pressure of being moved to opening bat was too much for him.
Rating: 4

Paul Stirling
Lasted only eight balls at bat, but put a fine 11 runs on the scoreboard, when Ireland were chasing. Worked hard, and would have had a real impact if he stayed in longer. His aggression let him down. Bowled six overs, but took no wickets and allowed 32 runs.
Rating: 6

Andrew Balbirnie
A game of two vastly different halves from the Irish under-19 cricket captain. Bowled a masterful 4-59 in ten overs, but did not even score one run at bat. Was lbwed on his first ball, and never got a chance to gain ground on Bangladesh.
Rating: 6

James Shannon
Shannon had another disappointing game, making just two runs in ten balls. He lasted fourteen minutes, but made no significant impact on the game.
Rating: 4

Ben Ackland
Another fine spell at bat from Ackland, but his low run-rate did not help Ireland's cause. He was 34 not out at the game's end, but needed more than just two fours to help reach the target. That said, he was Ireland's highest scorer yesterday, which is to be commended.
Rating: 7

Graham McDonnell
Very aggressive batting from McDonnell, who scored 31 in 42 balls, including 3 fours and a six. His strike-rate of 78.30 was exactly what was needed to help push Ireland towards the required run-rate, but sadly it was not enough.
Rating: 7

Stuart Poynter
Definitely one to forget for Poynter. He did absolutely nothing the entire game, in fact, he didn't even face one ball during his time at bat. Run-out after just four minutes, he'll be no doubt extremely disappointed with his performance here.
Rating: 1

Shane Getkate
The highlight of Getkate's game was his one maiden over, however giving 53 runs up in the other 8 was not his best. Took no wickets, and at bat scored a measly 4 runs from 32 balls.
Rating: 4

Eddie Richardson
Richardson's ODI debut at this level was a decent, but far from brilliant start. Took one wicket in his four overs with the ball, but gave away far too many runs (43). In addition, he scored nothing with the bat, facing only one ball.
Rating: 5

Craig Young
2-33 was a good score for Young, allowing 33 runs in 7 overs. 0 from 1 ball was not, when he was asked to bat at the end of Ireland's innings, and when he was caught behind, Kamrul Islam Rabbi celebrated his hat-trick as Bangladesh won the match in style.
Rating: 6

Match Report: Ireland vs Afghanistan Day 1

2010-01-21T05:27:00.000-08:00

At the close of play on Day 1 of Ireland's First Class four-day match against Afghanistan in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, the boys in green are still at bat with a marvellous score of 324/7.

Ireland won the toss and chose to bat. An excellent opening partnership from William Porterfield and Gary Wilson set us on the way, with a score of 120 for first wicket. Wilson lasted almost two hours, posting 53 runs along the way. The captain, Porterfield was next out, fo 78 after 175 minutes and 134 balls. He scored seven fours and two sixes along the way.

Niall O'Brien, Andrew White and Alex Cusack all did well for the Irish, scoing 66, 43, and 39 respectively. Unfortnately all-rounder Andre Botha was stumped for a duck after 5 balls, and Kevin O'Brien scored just 16 runs in his 53 minutes at bat.

At close of play, John Mooney and Trent Johnston were in, with only five runs between them, Johnston not having posted a run in eleven balls. Hopefully he can get into double figures tomorrow before Ireland turn around to bowl against Afghanistan.

Samiullah Shenwari was the best of their bowling side, taking 3-55 in 20 overs. 98 overs were played in all, and the match is due to continue until Sunday.

Royal Bangalore sign Eoin Morgan in IPL Auction

2010-01-19T04:59:00.000-08:00

Former Ireland international Eoin Morgan was the only English player signed at the IPL Auction this morning. The current England One Day International player has made a name for himself playing Twenty20 for his newly adopted national side, and joins England batsman Kevin Pietersen at Bangalore for this year's Indian Premier League.

Royal Challengers Bangalore outbid Chennai Super Kings by $10,000 to ensure Morgan's signing. The batsman cost them $220,000, and was chosen ahead of the other Englishmen in the auction including Graeme Swann and Mark Ramprakesh.

The IPL begins on March 12th, with Bangalore facing Kolkata at Kolkata on March 14th in their first game. The Dubliner will be back with Middlesex for their domestic season at the IPL's end.

U19 Player Ratings vs USA

2010-01-19T04:36:00.001-08:00

Ireland won their third and final group game at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand by five wickets thanks to fantastic batting from Paul Stirling and equally inspired bowling by Lee Nelson.

Andrew Balbirnie
Another disappointing batting spell from Ireland's under-19 captain, but his bowling was vastly improved against USA. Scored just three runs, but his 1-26 in 9 overs was very impressive, keeping the run rate down to help Ireland's required target.
Rating: 7

Stuart Thomspon
A decent stint at bat from SR Thompson, lasting an hour and scoring 27 runs. His bowling wasn't as strong, giving away 21 runs in just three overs.
Rating: 6

Paul Stirling
This is the performance we've been waiting for from Stirling. It was only a matter of time before he'd get his chance to shine in New Zealand. Took one wicket for 37 runs in 8 overs, but it was with the bat where he shone. Ireland's first century of the tournament, a remarkable 114 fom 104 balls.
Rating: 9

Ben Ackland
Not as good as previous outings, Ackland got just sixteen runs in 35 minutes, this was a decent score, but should do better against weak opposition. His catch on Sewdial was a highlight.
Rating: 6

Lee Nelson
A hugely disappointing inning with the bat, lasting just three balls and scoring no runs. However, his bowling was the complete opposite, as he finished off the American tail in style. Took three quick wickets in just seven balls, allowing a measly three runs. Phenomenal.
Rating: 8

Graham McDonnell
An excellent outing with the bat as McDonnell took it upon himself to ensure victory. Scored 35 runs not out, including one four and a stunning six. Forged a lovely partnership with Stirling, which gained Ireland their first victory.
Rating: 8

Stuart Poynter
Five runs from five balls in five minutes, SW Poynter had a nice short inning with the bat, but held his nerve when needed. His two catches (particularly for Saleem) were also essential to Ireland's victory.
Rating: 7

George Dockrell
Did not bat, but got the full ten overs with the ball. Allowed just 34 runs, taking one wicket. This was a decent outing from Dockrell, keeping the run rate down as well as taking out the threat of Sewdial.
Rating: 7

Adrian D'Arcy
Did not bat and did not bowl. it's hard to give D'Arcy any kind of rating, as he featured in no game-changing plays, and was not noticiable for the majority of the game.
Rating: 5

Jordan Coghlan
Bowled eight overs, and spent no time batting. Took no wickets, but allowed 44 runs. Will have to try to allow less runs in the next game against Zimbabwe.
Rating: 6

Craig Young
Obviously did not bat, but was very strong with the ball. Allowed too many runs: 50, but his three wickets in nine overs greatly helped the Irish attempt. His five wides is a cause for concern however.
Rating: 6

Match Report: Ireland Under-19s vs USA U-19s

2010-01-19T04:18:00.000-08:00

Ireland played their last Group B game at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup last night against rivals USA, who had beaten the Irish youth side just a few weeks previous. This time, the men in green came out victorious, to finish third in Group B with 2 points.

USA won the toss and chose to bat first. They started well, with opener Steven Taylor scoring 57 before being bowled by a back-on-form Andrew Balbirnie, who bowled his best game of the tournament. Strong batting from Gregory Sewidal and Saqib Saleem put America in a comfortable position, but after Ryan Corns was run out on 31, the US charge was halted. Saleem hung on for a while longer, but no other American batsman made double figures. They were all out for 217 after 48.1 overs.

This was made possible by an inspirational seven balls from Lee Nelson, who took three wickets and allowed only three runs to finish up the match. Craig Young also took three wickets, with Balbirnie, George Dockrell, and Paul Stirling all picking up one a piece.

While Balbirnie may have been potent with the ball, his final outing of the tournament was yet another poor inning with the bat. He made just 3 runs in 29 minutes, and was bowled lbw by Ahmad. Stuart Thompson and Paul Stirling made a fine partnership, with Thompson making a fine 27 runs. Stirling however, was the out and out man of the match, lasting over two hours, facing 104 balls, scoring 12 fours and a six, and posting a wonderful score of 114 runs. His partnerships with Ackland and Nelson didn't last as long, with Ackland scoring 16 and Nelson out for a duck. Ryan Corns was to thank for both wickets, but it was not enough for USA. Graham McDonnell finished off the match with Stuart Poynter, making 40 runs between them, and hitting the required target with 6 overs left.

Ireland will now move onto the Plate competition to determine the best team who didn't make it out of the group stage. They will play Zimbabwe in the first round.

U19 Player Ratings vs Australia

2010-01-17T08:40:00.000-08:00

Player ratings for Ireland's second Group B game at the 2010 ICC Under-19 World Cup against Australia.

Andrew Balbirnie
Another below-expectations performance from the Ireland captain. Improved slightly with the bat, but will need to be scoring much more than 7 runs to make any sort of impact. Bowled ten overs, but took no wickets and allowed 52 runs. Disappointing.
Rating: 4

Stuart Thompson
Scored 19 runs off 55 balls, which was the highest score with the bat against Australia, but was still not enough. His strike rate should be significantly higher. Decent with the ball, only allowing 22 runs in 5 overs.
Rating: 6

Paul Stirling
A match to forget for the senior international, was bowled on his first ball and allowed 46 runs in 8 overs. Hopefully keeps his place against America, so can show his true ability.
Rating: 2

Ben Ackland
Ireland's best batsman of the tournament so far, scored only 11 against Australia, but that still proved to be the second highest score of any man in a green shirt.
Rating: 6

Lee Nelson
After his excellent performance against South Africa, Nelson suffered a horrendous lapse in concentration and was bowled on a single after just seven balls. Must do better.
Rating: 3

Graham McDonnell
A horrid innings from McDonnell, lasting three balls and scoring no runs. He ran out Floros, which was the only highlight of a terrible match for the batsman.
Rating: 2

Adrian D'Arcy
Scored 5 runs from 16 balls in his first game of the tournament. Thus, it's hard to tell if it was a good decision to have D'Arcy replace the injured James Shannon, who looks set to miss the final game on Tuesday.
Rating: 4

Stuart Poynter
After his splendid outing with the bat against South Africa, Poynter was under a lot of pressure having been put into bat with more than half the match remaining. had a high strike rate again, scoring 4 runs in 6 balls. His wicketkeeping was strong again, stumping Beaton.
Rating: 5

George Dockrell
Ireland's joint third highest scorer yesterday with 7 runs. Was stubborn at bat, lasting nearly half an hour, but it was too much to ask him to try and win the match single-handedly. Our best bowler by far, taking 2 wickets in 9 overs, and giving up just 38 runs.
Rating: 7

Jordan Coghlan
Replaced the poor Shane Getkate, and looked much better than his predecessor. Scored just two runs, but with the ball he took two superb wickets, allowing 62 runs in 10 overs. His run rate needs to be cut down, but the wicket-taking is very promising.
Rating: 6

Craig Young
The only Irish batsman not out against Australia, but did not get any time to make a name for himself. Scored no runs, but never had a chance to either. Had a poor time with the ball, giving up 54 runs in 8 overs, and must do better if he starts against America.
Rating: 3

Match Report: Ireland Under-19s vs Australia U-19s

2010-01-17T08:07:00.000-08:00

Ireland sadly slumped to their second defeat at the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand. The result was a resounding 209 run defeat to Australia. Australia are one of the favourites for the tournament, and on this evidence, they are surely contenders to go all the way to the final.

Ireland won the toss and chose to field first. We made two changes to the team which lost to South Africa, with middle-order bastman Adrian D'Arcy and bowler Jordan Coghlan coming into the side. Coghlan was quite impressive with the ball, taking out opener Nic Maddinson after 9.4 overs. However, the partnership of Tom Beaton and Alex Keath put Australia in the driving seat. Beaton scored his second half-century in a row, and Keath took a wonderful 88 in 111 balls before being bowled by Coghlan.

George Dockrell also took two wickets, his first ball stumping Beaton, and taking captain Mitchell Marsh for a duck. Jason Floros was run out, but Tim Armstrong and Kane Richardson could not be beaten, scoring 73 and 24 respectively.

Ireland were always chasing the result, but with Kane Richardson and Nick Buchanan bowling out of their skin, we never stood a chance. Balbirnie was lbwed in the second over, and his replacement, Paul Stirling was bowled on his first ball by Richardson. Ben Ackland and Stuart Thompson began to forge a partnership but Buchanand ended this in the thirteenth over. After Thompson was bowled by Richardson, the match steamrolled to its inevitable conclusion - no other Irishman got into double figures.

We finished with a score of 65 all out after 24.2 overs, and slumped to our second defeat of the competition. There is no chance of us making the final 8, and the third group game against USA will be a mere consolation match.

U-19 Preview: Ireland vs Australia

2010-01-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

Ireland play their second Group B game at the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2010 tonight against Australia. The match starts at 9:30 p.m. our time, or 10:30 tomorrow local time in New Zealand.

It's going to be a tough match for our underage side, as Australia are coming off the back of a barnstorming 108 run win over USA. Australia scored 262 all out in 49.3 overs, with a run rate of 5.29. So if Ireland are going to overcome Australia, the bowlers will need to be on form, particularly against the opening duo of Nic Maddinson and Tom Beaton. Beaton scored an excellent 73 last night, and both formed a wonderful partnership of 82 before Maddinson was stumped.

Although Ireland lost to USA last year, they should be a much better opposition for the Aussies than the Americans proved. USA suffered horribly with the bat, and were 7-28 after less than 10 overs. The Australian bowling was strong all-round, but Josh Hazelwood and Adam Zampa are our main threats.

Our openers Balbirnie and Thompson will need to perform much better with the bat if we want to stand any chance of winning. Hopefully we can also win the toss and field early in a cool New Zealand morning. This is a must-win match, as if we lose, the USA game will only be a consolation.

U19 Player Ratings vs South Africa

2010-01-15T09:01:00.000-08:00

Andrew Balbirnie
Not the best World Cup start from Ireland's captain. Only scored a single run from 24 balls. Was somewhat better bowling, taking 1-45 in 9 overs with one maiden, but would need higher scores at the bat, as well as a lower economy to shine at this tournament.
Rating: 6

Stuart Thompson
A fantastic day bowling for Thompson, taking 2 wickets for the 29 runs he gave up. His batting was below par however, only hitting six from fifteen. He did hit one boundary though, so hopefully that's a good sign for games to come.
Rating: 7

Paul Stirling
A lot is expected of Stirling at this World Cup, and he performed admirably in his first game. He scored a quick 19 in 29 balls, hitting three fours. But his bowling was even better. He took 2 wickets in 10 overs, allowing 42 runs.
Rating: 8

James Shannon
A hugely disappointing match for Shannon. There's so much better to come from him in the next two games, but unfortunately he scored a single run in the opening match. He stayed around for only 17 balls. He did however field somewhat better, catching Nofal.
Rating: 3

Ben Ackland
Ireland's standout performer with the bat yesterday, hitting a wonderful 66. Lasted 107 balls, and hit four boundaries. If he can keep up this pace throughout, he could well be our player of the tournament.
Rating: 8

Lee Nelson
Forged a wonderful partnership with Ackland, scoring 55 in 75 balls. Hit four fours and a six, and ended with a strike rate of 73.33. He solitary over with the ball wasn't great, allowing 9 runs. Luckily he's so good with the bat.
Rating: 8

Graham McDonnell
A marvellous 24 not out from 21 balls, McDonnell batted superbly to dramatically increase the RRR for South Africa. His partnership with Poynter was splendid.
Rating: 8

Stuart Poynter
Had a strike rate of 178.57 at the match's end. In 14 balls, he hit a fantastic 25. This included one glorious 6. Also caight Richards behind the wicket. My man of the match.
Rating: 9

Shane Getkate
Bowled just four overs, giving away 36 runs, it was a below average performance from the bowler. There's better to come. Hopefully.
Rating: 3

Craig Young
Economy-wise, Ireland's best bowler yesterday. gave just 15 runs in 4 overs, ending with an economy of 3.75. Pity he didn't take any wickets.
Rating: 7

George Dockrell
Bowled 9 overs, giving up 43 runs, this was a decent start to the tournament from Dockrell in his first World Cup game. Expect wickets to fall in the next two games.
Rating: 7

Match Report: Ireland Under-19s vs South Africa U-19s

2010-01-15T05:03:00.000-08:00

Ireland opened their ICC Under-19s World Cup 2010 with a loss last night (morning local time in New Zealand). The underdogs from the outset, Ireland suffered an early batting collapse and lost to South Africa by five wickets.

South Africa won the toss and elected to field. Opening batsmen Stuart Thompson and captain Andrew Balbirnie did not have the best of nights. Thompson was bowled after 6 runs from 15 balls, but even worse was Balbirnie's single after 24 balls. Rabian Engelbrecht was the bowler for both wickets, with Stephen Smith catching Balbirnie's attempted hook.

Senior international Paul Stirling slowed things down and vastly improved the situation for Ireland with an excellent 19 from 29 balls. In form James Shannon sadly only hit 1 off 17, and Ireland were severely under pressure.

However, the partnership of Ben Ackland and Lee Nelson brought the score up to 153 before Nelson was caught for 55. Ackland was the star of the innings with a masterful 66 in 107 balls. Nelson scored four fours and a six to end with a fantastic strike rate of 73.33.

The following two batsmen, Graham McDonnell and Stuart Poynter stayed in for the remaining five overs, and scored 24 not out and 25 not out respectively. This set South Africa a target of 217 in 50 overs.

However, it only took South Africa 43.4 of those alloted overs to meet the target and win by 5 wickets. Stephen Smith was their star man with an unbeaten 67. Dominic Hendricks hit 47 and Malcolm Nofal scored 32 as South Africa powered to victory.

On the bowling side, our own Thompson and Stirling both took two wickets. Thompson scoring 2-29 and Stirling 2-42. Balbirnie took the only other wicket off his 45 runs in 9 overs.

Ireland have a -0.718 runrate after one game, which is something we can definitely overcome. Our next game is against Australia on Sunday, with USA our opponents in the final match.

Boyd Rankin pulls out injured, Nigel Jones called up

2010-01-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

Irish opening bowler Boyd Rankin has had to pull out of Ireland's upcoming games in Sri Lanka. He has been replaced in the squad by CSNI's Nigel Jones, who has played two previous games for the senior side.

Rankin had this to say about his injury: "I’ve been diagnosed with a stress reaction in my right foot, and am wearing a protective cast. It’s not broken but it needs to be rested for four or five days. It was picked up by the physios and doctors at an ECB training camp in Loughborough earlier this week. We’ll see where we are then depending on how sore it is. I’ve been told it could take between two or three weeks to fully heal, but we’ll know more when I get it checked out again next week at Warwickshire, where I’ll be doing my rehabilitation."

Coach Phil Simmons said: "Nigel’s a talented player who is a useful bowler and a very talented batsman. He’ll come in for the Sri Lanka leg of the tour. We’ll not make a decision on the Twenty20 World Cup Qualifiers until we get an update on Boyd’s fitness."

Cricket Ireland reward players with full time contracts

2010-01-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

In order to help our World Cup 2011 campaign, Cricket Ireland have awarded six full contracts to their players. This will allow them to focus on cricket full-time, as well as stopping England from poaching more of our best stars. Alex Cusack, Andre Botha, John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien, Paul Stirling and Trent Johnston were chosen to get 'A' contract funding.

Four other players were awarded 'B' contracts: William Porterfield, Niall O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, and Andrew White. Cricket Ireland has been supported by government grants and sponsorship.

Head coach Phil Simmons said "We all saw just how much Trent and Alex improved last year with being able to commit all their focus to full-time cricket. It gives the players peace and security, and lets them concentrate their efforts. It is another step forward for Irish cricket, and shows just how serious we are in our intentions. It will stand us in good stead as we prepare for the next intensive 15 months of cricket in the lead up to the World Cup."

Player Profiles: Ireland Under 19s

2010-01-14T04:41:00.000-08:00

With the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2010 kicking off tonight (tomorrow New Zealand time), what better time than now to profile the Irish players involved. Many of these could be future stars for the country with the full team, and one of them, Paul Stirling, has already kitted out for full international honours at senior level.

Ben Ackland
BJ Ackland was born on October 26th, 1989 in Nuneaton in England, but has gone on to represent Ireland from Under-13 level upwards. He has also played in the Somerset Second XI and is a batting all-rounder. He has an offbreak bowling style, and has played for Ireland in both the Under-17 and Under-19 European Championships. He hit 47 against the Netherlands in the U-19 Europeans, so hopefully his form can carry over to the World Cup.

Andrew Balbirnie
Born on December 28th, 1990, Dubliner Balbirnie is the current captain of the Ireland Under-19s side. A right-handed batsman who can also be called into bowl if necessary, he scored 294 runs in the qualifiers including a century against Afghanistan. As well as bowling offspin, he also keeps wicket. A definite one to watch at the World Cup, and could be one of Ireland's best players.

Jordan Coghlan
Jordan Coughlan is a very promising all-rounder, who has moved up the underage levels, playing at U-15 and U-17 level before moving up to the Under-19s. Born in Dublin on October 30th, 1992, he is a strong right-arm medium bowler, and bowled 2-14 against Guernsey in last year's Under-17 European Championships.

Adrian D'Arcy
Coming from a strong cricketing family, Adrian D'Arcy is one of three brothers to represent Ireland at underage level. Born on December 10th, 1990 in Dublin, he plays for his local side Clontarf, and scored an unbeaten century against Malahide in 2008, an achievement which he ranks as his finest to date. Hopefully the left-handed batsman can outdo himself at the World Cup this month.

George Dockrell
An excellent left-arm spinner, Dubliner George Dockrell could be one of Ireland's best bowlers at this year's World Cup. Born on the 22nd of July, 1992, he's one of the youngest members of the squad. However, with scores like his 6-19 against Hong Kong in qualification, there is no doubting his talent.

Shane Getkate
Born in South Africa on October 2nd, 1991, SC Getkate comes from great stock. His grandfather Robert Getkate played for Natal Districts, he has played for Ireland at U-13 level upwards, as well as kitting out for the Malahide senior team. He's a right arm fast bowler, but can also score a few quick runs if called upon.

Graeme McCarter
A native of Derry, Graeme McCarter was born on October 10th, 1992. He has represented the Gloucestershire 2nd XI as well as Ireland at various underage levels. The right-arm fast bowler's finest hour came last year when he took 3-26 against Denmark in the U-19 European Championships.

Graham McDonnell
Born October 20th, 1990, Dubliner Graham McDonnell has followed in the footsteps of his brother Stuart by representing Ireland at underage level. He's a right-arm medium paced bowler, but is also a strong late batsman, hitting a 74 off 38 against Vanuatu in qualifiers.

Lee Nelson
Ulsterman Lee Nelson comes from fantastic cricket stock. His father Alan, and uncle Noel both played at senior level for Ireland. Born December 5th, 1990 in Craigavon, Nelson is a veteran of the ICC U-19 World Cup, having represented Ireland at the same competition in 2008. He's a fantastic right-handed off-break bowler, and took 4-30 off Vanuatu in qualification.

Stuart Poynter
SW Poynter will keep wicket for Ireland at the World Cup. Born October 18th, 1990 in London, he is the younger brother of Andrew, who has also represented Ireland at this level.

Eddie Richardson
Louthman EJ Richardson was born on July 22nd, 1990, and is a cousin of full internationals John and Paul Mooney. A good all-rounder, he has represented Ireland from Under-13 level upwards.

James Shannon
Middle-order batsman JNK Shannon was born in Belfast on February 12th, 1990. He's an excellent right-hander, and showed great composure in the 2007 Under-17 European Championships scoring 38 against Denmark, 86 against Scotland, and a whopping 114 against Netherlands. He also scored an unbeaten half-century against Hong Kong in World Cup 2010 qualifiers.

Paul Stirling
Already a full Ireland international, PR Stirling is an essential part of the under-19 team. Born in Belfast on September 3rd, 1990 he has quickly moved up the ranks of Irish cricket. An amazing right-handed batting prospect, his highlight to date was a 30 off 26 balls in a senior ODI against England. He also scored 164 against Vanuatu and a 117 against Netherlands in qualifying.

Stuart Thompson
SR Thompson was born in Derry on August 25th, 1991. He's the son of Ireland senior cricketer Neil Thompson, and is a great left-handed batsman. In qualifying, he hit a marvellous 67 in 103 balls against Uganda.

Craig Young
All-rounder CA Young is another Derry-born cricketer in Ireland's Under-19 World Cup squad. Born April 4th, 1990, he's as proficient with the bat but it's with the ball that he really shines. He had an excellent European Championships last year at under-17 level, including a standout performance of 5-22 against Guernsey. One of the outstanding players in qualifying, he had an excellent 4-46 against Vanuatu. Definitely a key to Ireland's success.

ICC Under-19 World Cup 2010 Preview

2010-01-13T06:07:00.000-08:00

For many people there may be only one World Cup in 2010, but for us Cricket fans, there's plenty more. The first up is the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup which takes place in New Zealand.

The opening game takes place this Thursday at 21:30 GMT between Afghanistan and India. At the same time, Ireland take on South Africa at the Queenstown Events Centre in Group B. There's also two other games taking place around the country too (One in each group).

The Groups are made up as follows:

Group A
India
England
Afghanistan
Hong Kong

Group B
South Africa
Ireland
Australia
USA

Group C
New Zealand
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
Canada

Group D
Pakistan
Bangladesh
West Indies
Papau New Guinea

The tournament could well produce many stars of the future, with numerous teams having their own "Ones to Watch". The Under-19 World Cup has previously unearthed players like Andrew Symonds, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Shoaib Malik, and Shahid Afridi. Keep an eye out this time for Matthew Dunn and Azeem Rafiq of England, as well as our own Andrew Balbirnie and Paul Stirling. The Indian and West Indies captains Ashok Menaria and Andre Creary are also great prospects. Australia, who are one of our main rivals in Group B have their own breakout star in the excellent 18 year old Mitchell Marsh.

IRELAND SQUAD
Andrew Balbirnie (c)
Adrian D'Arcy
Ben Ackland
Craig Young
Eddie Richardson
George Dockrell
Graeme McCarter
Graham McDonnell
James Shannon
Jordan Coghlan
Lee Nelson
Paul Stirling (vc)
Shane Getkate
Stuart Poynter
Stuart Thompson

I'll be providing reports on all our games, so make sure to come back over the coming weeks to see how our boys get on.

Ireland - Afghanistan Intercontinental Match Rescheduled

2010-01-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

The Ireland versus Afghanistan ICC Intercontinental Cup match due to take place from the 24th to the 26th of January in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, has been moved forward by two days due to a clash with the Sri Lankan Presidental Elections

The match will now be played from the 21th to 24th of January. According to the ICC "Sri Lanka Cricket requested the move for reasons of security and logistics."

The venue for the match has not been changed.

Jeremy Bray Retires from International Cricket

2010-01-12T07:26:00.000-08:00

Left-handed opening Batsman Jeremy Bray has announced his immediate retirement from the Irish National Cricket Team. No longer will we see JP Bray open the batting order for Ireland, whether it be One Day Internationals or Test Matches.

The Australian born thirty six year old had this to say: "I'm not getting any younger, and it's hard to get up to the levels of fitness now required for international cricket. The team has an incredibly demanding schedule over the next few years, and I couldn't commit myself fully to that programme.

"I have had some wonderful memories and will always be grateul to Ireland for giving me the opportunity. I'd like to thank Adi Birrell for the faith he showed in me, and Phil Simmons for giving me the chance to make a comeback after being out of the side for two years.

"The Irish fans are superb, and I'll never forget the atmosphere of the World Cup in the West Indies."

Bray made his Irish ODI debut on June 13th 2006 and went on to play 83 games in total for his national side. On his debut against England, he hit 22 off 29 balls, which included 3 fours as he opened the batting with Dom Joyce (brother of Ed Joyce, who fielded for the opponents on that day). Joyce was out for a duck, but Bray combined with Andre Botha for a partnership of fifty in just under eleven overs.

He represented New South Wales and the Australian underage sides before moving to Ireland, where he quickly joined the Ireland A Team.

In his fifteen ODIs, he scored 401 runs (a 28.64 batting average), and had highs of 116 and 115 not out. He made the 116 against Scotland in Nairobi at the ICC World Cricket League 2007. The 115 not out was a much more impressive feat, against Zimbabwe in a tied game at the 2007 World Cup.

Bray forged a fantastic opening partnership with William Porterfield, but it was with Niall O'Brien that he forged a 304 against UAE, the second highest partnership in Irish Cricket.

His finest hour came alongside WTS Porterfield in 2007, as the duo made 202 (146 by Bray), as Ireland lifted the Intercontinental Cup with a victory over Canada.