T20 Player Ratings v West Indies

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

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.

Fixtures: Ireland v Bangladesh ODIs in June

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

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 USA T20 Match Report

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

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

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

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.

Ireland World Twenty20 Qualifying Squad Announced

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.

Match Report: Ireland vs Afghanistan Day 1

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.

Boyd Rankin pulls out injured, Nigel Jones called up

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

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

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

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

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

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.