Ireland – Taking the World by Storm

The World T20 is fast approaching. In just two weeks time, Ireland will set out their campaign to reach the main draw of the tournament. Before that, they face the tricky Qualifier stage. In this blog I just want to take a look at Ireland’s squad, how I’d like to see them line-up and the teams that stand in their way.

 

Form

Ireland’s form leading up to the World T20 is a little bit indifferent. Following a huge victory over Papua New Guinea in the Inter Continental Cup, Ireland stuttered through to a 2-1 T20I series victory, followed by a drawn series versus the UAE. That said, the pitches in Townsville were a little unpredictable, while UAE are a team on the up at the moment. Ireland did also use the two series as a means of testing out a number of different combinations as a means of identifying their best team.

Personally, I think this will only serve as an even bigger incentive for the lads. The older players in the squad will recognise that this may be the last ICC world tournament that they are involved in. The reduction of the size of the World Cup effectively removes Ireland from featuring in the 2019 edition, while the ICC have announced that the World T20 will be played every 4 years rather than every 2, after this edition. Players such as Tim Murtagh and Niall O’Brien will be looking to leave their mark.

Outside of the Irish camp, the World T20 2016 provides the perfect platform for the Associate countries to make a statement to the ICC.

The Squad

Ireland’s biggest asset is their experience. Despite their Associate status, the squad boasts 5 players who are featuring in their fifth tournament. William Porterfield is also the second longest standing captain in the tournament. Ireland also have the benefit of fielding a number of players with county cricket experience.

As I mentioned above, the T20 series’ against PNG and UAE served as a chance for the selectors to get a look at a number of players and make their final plans for the tournament qualifiers.

My XI: Porterfield, Stirling, Balbirnie, K O’Brien, N O’Brien, Wilson, McBrine, Sorensen, Murtagh, Dockrell, Rankin

Expected XI: Porterfield, Stirling, Balbirnie, K O’Brien, N O’Brien, Wilson, Thompson, Sorensen, Murtagh, Dockrell, Rankin

Depending on how the surface plays, McBrine may miss out for either Stuart Poyntner or Stuart Thompson. A lot will depend on how the pitches are prepared and if there is real spin on option.

 

Ireland’s Key Men

George Dockrell

There isn’t much to say about George Dockrell that hasn’t been said. Dockrell has a very good record in India, managing to pick up a number of key wickets in the 2011 World Cup. Since breaking into the Irish team aged just 17, Dockrell has been one of the best bowlers in the Associate game. Despite being aged just 23 years old, he is featuring in his 3^rd World T20 tournament. If the pitches offer any spin, Dockrell will pose a potent threat for any bowler. The real test will be against the Bangladeshi batmen, who have the most experience against spin.

Paul Stirling

If any man in the Irish team can lead Ireland to a big score it’s Paul Stirling. Sometimes criticised for trying to go too big too often, Stirling is exactly what Ireland need at the top of the order. If you look across the international game, so many teams have an ‘accumulator / big-hitter’ opening combo. Stirling’s bowling could also prove crucial for Ireland. If Ireland favour a 5 bowler strategy, there may be a need for Stirling to throw down a few overs. Even if he doesn’t pick up wickets, his economic bowling could be a much asset.

Boyd Rankin

The most dangerous bowler in Associate cricket. Rankin is exactly what Irish cricket has been missing for the last number of years, a genuine fast bowler. Ireland are blessed to have him back in the team. His bowling will trouble even the best batsmen. Ireland will need something special to knock over Bangladesh, Rankin might just be that something special. In the two T20I’s he’s featured in since returning to Irish cricket, Rankin has picked up impressive figures of 3/17 and 2/16.

Kevin O’Brien

William Porterfield may be the captain of the Irish team, but Kevin O’Brien is most definitely one of the leaders. A man who always leaves everything on the pitch, KOB epitomises Irish cricket. If KOB can repeat his heroics of the 2011 World Cup just once in the Qualifiers, Ireland will reach the main draw. Despite having a high score of just 42 in T20Is, his batting is the perfect middle order foil. His bowling can’t be underestimated either, as he showed by clawing the UAE back just last week. He doesn’t smash the ball into the pitch, but he can certainly help dry up the runs and frustrate a batsman.

 

The Draw

Unfortunately, Ireland have yet again been drawn in the more difficult qualifier group. That said, in previous ICC events, particularly the 2011 World Cup, Ireland proved that they weren’t set to be the group whipping boys. Ireland have however struggled somewhat in the shortest format of the game on the biggest stage. Their most memorable performances (Pakistan, England, West Indies, Zimbabwe) have all come in ODI matches.

Ireland have been drawn against the stronger of the two full-members, Bangladesh; Netherlands and Oman. All matches are bound to be crackers. Ireland have however been separated from the strongest (other) Associate team, Afghanistan.

The Location

All of Group A’s Qualifier Matches are set to be played in Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium in Dharamsala, the most Northerly stadium being used in the tournament. For anyone who has followed the IPL, Kings Punjab XI have played a number of games in the stadium. What stands out most is that the stadium is almost 1,500m above sea-level.

What does this mean? When you hit the ball, it stays hit!

The ground is a bit of a mystery, with just 8 IPL matches, a handful of ODI matches, only one single T20I game having been played in the stadium. Any match that I’ve watched in the stadium has favoured the batsmen. Some huge scores have been notched up in the ground. The only T20I (India vs. South Africa featured a whopping 399 runs). Pace off the ball could be a huge factor in preventing the batsmen from getting the ball away.

 

March 9^th vs. Oman

Oman are making their debut in the tournament. Oman have had a Nepalese like rise in Associate cricket. Despite being newcomers to the sport (debut in 2002), they have beaten both Afghanistan and the Netherlands on their way to the World T20 Qualifier. Their team is packed with spinning options.

Irish fans would have kept one eye on the Asia Cup Qualifier, with a hope of finding a few weaknesses in the Oman team. They performed admirably in two of their three matches, beating Hong Kong by 5 runs in a tense encounter, before losing to Afghanistan by 3 wickets. In their final match, Oman went down by 71 runs to the much fancied UAE side, who ultimately topped the group and qualified for the full tournament as a result.

Key batsman

The two openers are the best batsmen in the team. Zeeshan Maqsood finished the Asia Cup Qualifier with the 2^nd most runs, despite the team struggling overall. Pressure has been heaped on Maqsood with Jatinder Singh struggling of late. If Ireland can knock him over cheaply, Ireland should steamroll to a big victory.

Key bowler

This is the tricky bit. Oman don’t really have a single bowler who has stood head and shoulders above the other. They have a crop of spinners, who will prove effective if the pitches offer up anything. They’re best looking bowler however is a medium-pacer. Mehran Khan has twice picked up a 3 wicket-haul against Afghanistan, not a bad feat at all. I really feel like this is an attack that Ireland should look to target.

 

March 11^th vs. Bangladesh

Undoubtedly the hardest match in the whole Qualifier round. Afghanistan will have been very relieved to have avoided the Tigers. Looking at their form in the shorter formats over the last 12 months and you’d put them right up there with the big dogs in the tournament. What doesn’t exactly make good reading for any Irish fans is that Bangladesh have won their last 5 ODI series, including victories over Zimbabwe, South Africa, India and Pakistan. They seem to have the perfect balance, with Shakib in the middle order and Mortaza more than capable with the bat down the order. Unlike the Associate teams, knocking over the top order won’t be the breaking of the team.

As they’re currently playing in the Asia Cup, so I won’t want to write too much about them until I see how that tournament pans out.

Key batsman

There are a few to choose from, but it has to be Shakib Al Hasan. Luckily for Ireland, Shakib is struggling for form. In his last 10 T20 innings (for both Bangladesh & Karachi Kings), he has only scored one half century and has been dismissed for 20 of less 9 times.

Key bowler

Mustafizur Rahman has taken the world by storm. Mustafizur announced himself to the world with a 5 wicket-haul against India, which he followed up with an even better 6 wicker-haul. In ODIs he has 26 wickets across just 9 games, and 10 wickets across 8 T20Is. He bowls a consistent length, which will test even the best batsman.

 

March 13^th vs. Netherlands

Another World T20 Qualifier. Another final match against the Netherlands. The Netherlands are Ireland’s longest standing rival in Associate cricket. Memories of than game in Sylhet will stay with Irish cricket fans for a long, long time. Ireland had a chance to avenge that defeat in the Qualifiers last July, however they struggled to do so. The Netherlands are in a bit of a lull in international cricket, but they always seem to bring their best against the Irish.

The squad includes a number of established players in the International circuit. The loss of Ryan ten Doeschate, arguably the most gifted player to have featured for the Oranje, a few years back definitely hurt. Despite this losses, their squad is still mightily impressive. With players such as Borren, Bukhari, Tom, Cooper, Ben Cooper, Roelof van der Merwe, Michael Rippon and Stephan Myburgh, Ireland will need to be on the top of their game. Their batting is undoubtedly their strength.

Key batsman

When I first published this blog, I chose Stephan Myburgh as the man to watch, despite his indifferent form of late. Irish fans will remember his 63 off just 23 balls for a long, long time. However, this morning (25th February), it was announced that Tom Cooper had rejoined the Netherlands squad for the tournament, having previously ruled himself out of international cricket in order to focus on obtaining more lucrative domestic contracts. Like Myburgh, his form isn’t the best of late.

Key bowler

No competition, Roelof van der Merwe. Van der Merwe has an unbelievable about of experience. Having qualified for Netherlands in 2015, van der Merwe has also played for South Africa, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Brisbane Heat. His experience in Indian conditions could be a huge factor.

 

Verdict

What will it take for Ireland to qualify for the main draw? The least Ireland can hope for are two convincing wins and a narrow loss to Bangladesh, in the hope that either Oman or Netherlands can provide an upset against the Tigers. Irish fans will remember that Ireland were unfortunately eliminated from the 2015 World Cup on run-rate.

Oman – big win.

Bangladesh – it’ll take a massive performance, a slice of luck, but our lads are more than capable of pulling off an upset.

Netherlands – a much tighter game than the Oman match, a win which goes down to the wire.

World T20 Preview

 

 

With the World T20 quickly approaching, I thought it best to fire up a preview of the tournament and how I feel like each team are lining up. I just want to have a quick look at their respective squads; their strengths; weaknesses and how I expect them to fare.

I’ve only taken a look at the 8 Full Members who are already qualified for the main stage of the tournament; I’ll get a preview of the Qualifiers up ASAP.

 

India (23/10)

Unsurprisingly India are outright favourites for the home tournament; the odds have even shortened despite the recent loss to Sri Lanka in the first game of the 3 match series. That said, India’s record in the shorter format (particularly at home) is phenomenal. It doesn’t hurt that they often keep their best for tournaments such as these.

The cricket cynics will hate to hear it, but the winning of this tournament may well rely on who has IPL experience and who doesn’t. The Indian team is packed full of players who have tasted a lot of success in the domestic competition over the last number of years. The batting line-up is probably the strongest in the tournament; the bowling is a little suspect. Bumrah is in a great vein of form and will need to continue to perform if India are to have a chance of winning the competition.

Squad: MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Harbhajan Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Hardik Pandya.

Best XI: Dhawan, Rahane, Kohli, Raina, Dhoni, Pandya, Jadeja, Ashwin, Shami, Bumrah, Nehra

 

Verdict?

The batting line-up is one that no bowler would look forward to facing (Dhawan, Rahane, Kholi, Sharma, Raina, Dhoni).

The team has a lot of depth in terms of spin bowling; however they look to be a fast bowler light. Would Bhuvi have been a better inclusion? If their seamers struggle, India won’t stand a chance.

A lot of people see them as invincible at home, but at such a short price, I wouldn’t back ’em.

 

Australia (5/1)

It’s not a huge surprise that the bookies have Australia as the second favourites, especially considering their success in the shorter format over the last number of years. On the face of it, Australia appear to have the perfect balance of experience and youth in their squad, with power hitters littered throughout the team. Another huge positive for Australia is their ability to field both Watson and Marsh, which can lengthen the batting order and take pressure off the bowlers.

All-rounders are the order of the day. Faulkner is a very handy player to have down at 8 (he should arguably be higher) and is considered one of the best bowlers in the short format. Indian pitches will favour spin bowlers, and seamers who can execute the slow ball.

Peter Nevill is a very strange inclusion. With no international one-day experience, it’s hard to decipher why he was given the nod over Matthew Wade.

 

Squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, James Faulkner, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nevill, Andrew Tye, Shane Watson, Adam Zampa.

Best XI: Warner, Finch, Watson, Smith, Marsh, Maxwell, Nevill, Faulkner, Zampa, Hastings, Hazlewood

 

Verdict?

Lot of power hitters – if Australia get off to a good start, they’re near impossible to catch (particularly Warner and Watson). Their batting is definitely their strongest suit.

Spin bowlers are questionable with little or no experience in India. Would Lyons have been a better option?

 

West Indies (6/1)

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

For anyone who has been following the news lately, or even over the last number of years; West Indian cricket is in disarray. The WICB is an incredibly poorly run organisation. The suspension of Phil Simmons in September 2015 showed how poorly aligned the system is. Fast-forward 5 months and they’re at it again. The board is currently in a stand-off with the players over their contracts (which on the face of it, are farcical).

If everything does get sorted out, they’ll be able to field a full strength team. If they don’t; it looks like a fully new squad will have to be sent to India.

 

If they stick with their squad?

It’s hard to know what to make of the West Indies. On 1 hand, they’re the number 2 ranked team (were number 1 up until yesterday). That said, places 2-6 are only separated by 3 points (or rating). The West Indies squad is the second most experienced in Indian conditions (only after India themselves). Chris Gayle has arguably been the best batsmen to feature in the IPL, ever.

Other players such as Darren Sammy, Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons and Sunil Narine all have had successful careers in India. Andre Russell is in the form of his life; Narine is unplayable in Indian conditions and Badree has been one of the most under-rated players in domestic T20 cricket over the last number of years.

 

If they don’t?

It’s hard to know who’ll make up squad, but they won’t get out of their group.

 

Squad: Darren Sammy, Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor

Best XI: Gayle, Simmons, Ramdin, Dwayne Bravo, Russell, Holder, Badree, Narine, Taylor

 

Verdict?

With a full strength team, the West Indies are worth a punt. It’s just impossible to predict how this whole contract situation will sort itself out / explode even further.

Player’s won’t be in the mindset regardless.

 

South Africa (6/1)

Placed in Group 1, the easier of the two groups, South Africa have a very good chance to reach the semi-finals at least.

The three biggest issues for South Africa are;

• 1) Have South Africa finally have an all-rounder who can bowl a number of tight overs (Morris)
• 2) Will Dale Steyn be fit? Or will be break down again?
• 3) Will this be the tournament that they can overcome the pressures of the semi-finals?

I would have preferred to see Eddie Leie in the squad than Phangiso. This was probably Leie’s best chance to make his mark on international cricket.

JP Duminy’s form leading up to the tournament isn’t the best, however he is very experienced in India. Similarly, one look at his stats and it’s easy to see why he should be in the team. Is capable of throwing down a few overs as well to take the pressure of the front-line bowlers.

 

Squad: Faf du Plessis, Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, David Wiese.

Best XI: De Kock, Amla, du Plessis, AB, Miller, Duminy, Morris, Steyn, Rabada, Tahir, Abbott.

Verdict?

Looks like a much more balanced team with Morris.

A lot will rest on Tahir’s ability to bowl economically and chip in with a number of wickets.

If Steyn goes down, their bowling looks a very light.

 

England (13/2)

At 13/2, England are a very useful outside bet. This England team is not the same as the one that struggled in the 2015 World Cup. Since the failed World Cup campaign, England have adopted a much more attacking approach, to great effect. Jason Roy and Alex Hales at the top of the order finally provide England with openers who can give it a whack. A lack of experience in India for a lot of these players may prove crucial.

The inclusion of Liam Dawson was pretty surprising; especially considering that Bayliss said that he’s never seen him play. What is more surprising is that England already have two spinners in their squad, both who are very capable with both bat and ball. Was there a need for another spinner?

The inclusion of Finn is dependent on his fitness; if he doesn’t come through, will it be Woakes or Broad to get the nod? For me it has to be Woakes! I was surprised that he wasn’t in the squad in the first place; but then again very few expected to see Liam Dawson get the nod. Woakes didn’t have a great Test series against South Africa, but his T20 stats speak for them-self; batting average in excess of 28 and a bowling average under 27. Not bad stats for an all-rounder by any means.

Anything less than a semi-final will be a failure.

 

Squad: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey

Best XI: Hales, Roy, Root, Morgan, Buttler, Stokes, Ali, Rashid, Jordan, Willey, Finn

 

Verdict?

We might just see an Irishman lift the trophy on 3rd April.

The only problem I see on the face of it is the lack of experience in Indian conditions.

The above XI provides batting down to 10, 4 pacers and 2 spinners; a lot more than many teams have to offer. James Vince is knocking on the door if any of the batsmen struggle.

The squad has a number of good batsmen (Billings & Vince) in reserve, with Topley ready to step up should one of the seamers struggle.

Worth a flutter for sure!

 

New Zealand (8/1)

Why Brendan McCullum has chosen to retire before the World T20 is beyond me. The man is the master of the shorter format, with vast amounts of experience (and success) in Indian conditions. Were he playing, I would put New Zealand as near favourites for the tournament.

How New Zealand adapt will be interesting; but I don’t see them taking their foot off the peddle. Indian pitches encourage batsmen to come down the field and take it to bowlers. Of all the full-members, New Zealand are one of the best teams at this. It doesn’t hurt that (despite the retirement of McCullum), they’re still fielding a squad packed with experienced players.

 

Squad: Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Colin Munro, Nathan McCullum, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.

Best XI*: Guptill, Williamson, Taylor, Nicholls, Elliot, Anderson, Ronchi, Santner / McCullum, Southee, Boult, McClenaghan

*probably the hardest XI to pick

 

Verdict?

Williamson, Taylor, Anderson, Southee and Boult are all very experienced in India. Whether New Zealand know their best XI may be one of their biggest problems.

A lot will rest on Santner / McCullum and Anderson to bowl some tight overs.

 

Sri Lanka (11/1)

On Tuesday, an understrength Sri Lankan side convincingly beat India, on home soil. Sri Lanka were without a number of the usual starters (Dilshan, Matthews and Malinga).

Admittedly Sri Lanka are always a strange one to watch, but they are defending champions and won’t give up their crown easily.

Another important factor sees Sri Lanka placed in the weaker of the two groups, so a semi-final must be the absolute least for them.

 

Squad: **not yet announced – will update at a later date**

Best XI: **will update when the squad is announced**

 

Verdict?

11/1 is worth a punt. They’re defending champions; ranked number 1 in the format (at the time of writing). It doesn’t hurt that Sri Lankan conditions are too dissimilar to those in India.

A lot will also depend on which Lasith Malinga shows up – on his day he’s the best T20 bowler in the world. Over the last 9 months he’s struggled somewhat for form however. That said, India is where he has produced some of his best spells of bowling.

 

Pakistan (11/1)

Of all the teams in international cricket, Pakistan are the hardest to read. On their day, Pakistan are capable of beating any team.

Rather surprisingly, Pakistan don’t have a single full-time spinner in their squad. A lot will rest on the likes of Afridi, Malik, Nawaz and Wasim to up their game. The loss of Yasir Shah is a massive blow to the team.

Something which I wrote about recently was the return of Amir, and how he will perform going forward. Although he hasn’t quite lit up the world yet, I don’t doubt that he’s slowly but surely working his way back to his best.

 

Squad: Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Khurram Manzoor, Rumman Raees

Best XI: Sarfraz, Hafeez, Malik, Afridi, Umar Akmal, Nawaz, Imad Wasim, Wahab, Anwar Ali, Amir, Irfan

 

Verdict?

This may well be Afridi’s swansong in international cricket, or at least in a major international tournament. It’s the perfect stage for him to go Boom Boom one last time.

Irfan, Wahab and Amir are all are good bowlers; however each can tend to be a little enigmatic at times.

A lot of things will have to come together for Pakistan to win the competition.

 

India’s Young Guns: Iyer, Sarafraz & Samson

I will however have a quick look at the three of my favourite emerging Indian players, who I expect big things of in 2016. I’d be very surprised if these three guys don’t make their stamp on the IPL this year, knowing that there is a real chance for them to break into the Indian national team over the next 12-18 months.

As I mentioned in my last post, Test cricket is the holy grail of the international sport. A lot of traditionalists look towards the T20 leagues (such as the IPL and Big Bash) with a lot of displeasure. Regardless of your preference, all forms of cricket are cricket. Just like different types of music; some like it, some loathe it. It doesn’t mean that it’s bad or wrong, it’s just not for you.

Arguably the greatest success of the IPL is the foundation it provides for young and uncapped players to make a name for themselves and perform under pressure. It doesn’t hurt that they get to face up against the best bowlers in the world while earning a tidy wage.

Without trying to sound too cliché, I have a bit of a love affair with the IPL. The IPL is the reason I first got hooked on cricket. The pace of the game is second to none, with a lot of whacky advertising and moments thrown into the mix. The IPL is also one of the few places that you can see a 44 year old throw the ball down to a 17 year old. Add in Danny Morrison on commentary and you’ve got yourself some first class entertainment!

Three guys who I’m expecting big thing from are Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan and Sanju Samson – each are more than capable of breaking into the Indian set up over the next 12-18 months.

 

Shreyas Iyer – Delhi Daredevils

If 2015 was the breakout year for anyone, it was Shreyas Iyer.

Scoring 439 runs at an average of 34 is a seriously good return for any player, yet alone a 21 year old featuring in his first IPL tournament. For those who follow domestic cricket in India it’s easy to see why he was rewarded by Delhi with an IPL contract. Iyer finished the 2014/15 Ranji Trophy 7^th on the top run scorer list; with 809 runs @50.56.

Fast-forward one year and Iyer has gone from strength to strength. By the time the Ranji Trophy 2015/16 rolled around, Iyer was becoming a household name. However, few would have expected him to reach the heights he did, which included a remarkable 930 runs at an average of 72! Top run scorer in the whole country, not bad at all.

No matter what format you look at, Iyer appears to be a very complete batsmen. The Indian selectors would be insane to keep this guy away from, international cricket. I don’t care what format it is; first class, list A and T20 his figures are seriously impressive The way in which he has dealt with the pressure of the IPL clearly shows that he has the pedigree to perform on the big stage.

 

Sarfaraz Khan – Royal Challengers Bangalore

While Shreyas Iyer reminds me of Ajinkya Rahane (an accumulator who goes bang every now and again), Sarafraz Khan is more of a stand and deliver batsman. Aged just 17 at the start of IPL 2015, Khan didn’t wait around to show the older guys what he’s capable of.

At the moment, Khan is smashing every bowler who dares take him on in the U19 World Cup in Bangladesh. Scores of 74, 74, 21* and 76 aren’t too bad. Considering the current make-up of the RCB team, Khan’s role will be to provide quick runs down the order. Is he capable of smashing a few quick fire 20s and 30s down the order? You bet he is!

I would be very surprised if the Indian selectors didn’t get Khan into the T20 squad over the next 18 months, despite his lack of experience. If India don’t perform at the upcoming T20 World Cup, a few senior players may seem themselves pushed out of the squad going forward. Unlike some countries, India have never strayed away from rewarding young players who impress in the IPL. Maybe even more important than that is the success of Khan for the U19s.

 

Sanju Samson – Delhi Daredevils

Despite being just 21 years old, Samson has already featured in three IPL campaigns. One might look at his IPL averages (20, 26 & 26) and question whether he really has it. The simple fact is that Samson has much more talent than he has even shown us so far. It doesn’t hurt that he’s very solid behind the stumps, a position which India aren’t too sure about in Test cricket. Saha hasn’t quite cut it for me. The selectors will and should stick with him for the foreseeable future in order to give him a chance, but I just don’t see him making the grade. In the one day format, Dhoni is the man, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt India to give Samson some international exposure as Dhoni’s future replacement.

The big benefit of Samson’s game is that he is very adaptable; when he needs to stabilise an innings he is more than capable. Similarly, the 30 6’s and 60 4’s he has scored across 3 editions of the IPL shows that he doesn’t struggle to find the boundary when he needs too. I’m hopeful that his move to Delhi will provide him with the chance to improve his figures that little bit more.

 

Notable others: Deepak Hooda & Hardik Pandya

 

I’ll get an IPL 2016 preview up as soon as I can!

Ireland’s biggest Test

Since 2012, Cricket Ireland have expressed 1 ultimate goal: to play Test cricket. For any Associate country (non-Test playing nation with Associate status), this is the holy grail of cricket. To the most hard-core or traditional cricket fans, Test cricket is the only form of cricket. I’m not quite as traditional and see the value in both ODI and T20 cricket (particularly the growth it has inspired in countries such as Nepal and Afghanistan). After years of campaigning, as well as making its mark on the international game, Ireland are finally presented with a chance to play the most sacred form of the game.

Their passage? In January 2014 the ICC (in a rare moment of inspiration) announced that the winner of the 2015-2017 ICC Intercontinental Cup will be rewarded with a four match five-day (can we call them Tests?!) series against the lowest ranked Test nation, currently Zimbabwe. The series will be made up of two home matches and two away matches, meaning it’s highly likely that we’ll see some five-day cricket in, presumably Malahide and Stormont in 2018.

 

Ireland in the World Cup:

Ireland have played in three World Cups to date (2007, 2011, 2015), however there is a very strong chance that they won’t feature in another, at least for the foreseeable future. In each of their World Cup campaigns, Ireland have performed better and better, and beaten a full member. In 2007, Ireland managed to tie their first game with Zimbabwe and more remarkably, beat Pakistan in their second. Ireland managed bowl out a Pakistan line up which included a number of Pakistan’s best ODI batsmen (Hafeez, Younis Khan, Inzaman-ul-Haq, Shaoid Malik and Mohammah Yousuf). It’s difficult to put this into context, but it was undoubtedly one of the biggest upsets in the recent history of Irish sport. For a lot of the Irish public, this was also the first taste of cricket. Ireland ultimately managed to reach the Super 8 stage, where they did not fare as well. One win against Bangladesh was by no means a disgrace.

By the time the 2011 World Cup rolled around, there was a lot more interest, and a lot of dodgy haircuts in Irish cricket. The 2011 World Cup for every Irish fan will be remembered for one simple reason – Ireland pulled off the biggest heist in World Cup history. Simple as. After being battered by a strong English line-up for 327 runs, few people would have expected Ireland to even reach 300, and record a respectable loss. Kevin O’Brien had other plans and led Ireland to victory with the fastest World Cup century, a record which still stands. The win over the old enemy was particularly enjoyable because, well you know! Ireland finished the campaign with another high-scoring win over the Netherlands, although they failed to progress.

 

Fast-forward to 2015, Ireland’s best performance in the World Cup to date, which included a hugely impressive win over the West Indies, a narrow escape against the UAE and a somewhat lucky win over Zimbabwe (did he touch the rope, didn’t he?). What was important is that the investment in Irish cricket was providing tangible returns. Ireland were playing better and better, competing better and better and wins over full members were becoming less impressive. Why? Well we expect them nowadays.

2019? Well, hopefully the ICC get their act together by 2023. The ICC should took towards to World Rugby (the governing body for rugby union) as to how to correctly expand an international sport. While the ICC continues to restrict expansion, the WR have taken every measure to increase funding to smaller nations and try to grow the game globally. Such ventures include the addition of Rugby Sevens to the Summer Olympics 2016 as well as the rewarding of the 2019 World Cup to Japan (largely seen as a developing team in the world of rugby). The 2019 World Cup will consist of 20 teams, while there are plans to increase the number of teams to 24 or even 32 teams by 2023. In stark contrast to this, the ICC have been seen to reverse the number of teams competing in so-called ‘world events’. In 2011, 14 teams contested the World Cup. In 2015, the same number of teams competed, albeit in a different tournament structure. The 2019 edition however will only feature 10 teams, effectively removing the chance for any associate team to qualify.

 

Achieving Test status:

Cricket Ireland set a ‘Vision to 2020’ list of goals, which included gaining Test status by 2020; increasing the numbers of participants in the game to 50,000; to reach 8th in the world ODI rankings by 2015; to establish a domestic first-class structure and to reinforce cricket as the 4th-most major sport in Ireland. Over the last 3 and a half years, Ireland have achieved or begun to achieve a number of these goals. Unfortunately it is very difficult for an associate nation to climb through the ODI rankings as their fixture list is limited (in 2016 Ireland are scheduled to only play 6 ODI games).

Without trying to take to many swings at the so called ‘Big 3’, there is a need for these countries to support Ireland’s push for Test status. A number of people have expressed particular displeasure with the ECB, who would geographically be Ireland’s closest ally. While it is not the job of other cricketing boards to lobby on Ireland’s behalf, it is their job as members of the ICC to help grow the game internationally.

Back to the Intercontinental Cup. At present, Ireland stand top of the table with 60 points, the maximum number of points after three games. Ireland have more impressively recorded an innings victory in all but one of their matches so far, which also included a convincing victory against Papau New Guinea (they’ve managed to take 60 wickets across the 3 matches, while only batting four times themselves). Although the remaining fixtures include some of the more experienced and better fancied teams (Netherlands, Scotland and Afghanistan),I am of no doubt that Ireland can comfortable win all the remaining four matches and advance to the all important Test challenge against, well, Zimbabwe!

 

More Irish cricketers are playing county cricket at the moment than any other associate nations. Ed Joyce has been the standout player in the tournament so far, racking up 2 double centuries already; once again proving why he has been a stalwart of both Irish cricket and English domestic cricket for more than a decade. He may be retired from the shorter format from the game, but while there is chance for Ireland to obtain Test status, he won’t be going anywhere!

Ireland also have their own domestic first-class tournament which again, provides the players with a better basis to acquaint themselves with the longer format of the game. If anything, I would be very surprised if Ireland didn’t go on to record 4 straight wins from here on out.

A final point: Zimbabwe without Brendan Taylor? Let’s have ‘em.