Cricket:Coach Phil Simmons said he will be disappointed if Ireland fails to make it into the last eight of another World Cup as they prepare for next month's Twenty20 tournament in England.
The former West Indian Test player heaped praise on his players after their underdog win over Worcestershire in the Friends Provident Trophy last week when they bowled the English county out for just 58.
“The win against Worcestershire was exactly what we needed in our last competitive game before the Twenty20,” said Simmons at today’s conference at Stormont where his Twenty20 squad was announced.
“It was also achieved without our top county players, which says a lot for the depth of the squad. We will, of course, have everyone available and I’ll be very disappointed if we don’t make our mark.”
Ireland stunned the cricketing world two years ago when they reached the last eight of the World Cup in the West Indies.
“Obviously our best chance lies in the game against Bangladesh but the beauty of Twenty20 cricket is its unpredictability. We will be going into the warm up games and the tournament in confident mood,” added Simmons.
Vice-captain Kyle McCallan was also confident in confident mood. “We’re relishing the opportunity to showcase Irish cricket on the world stage again,” he said. “The 2007 World Cup in the West Indies was a fabulous experience for all concerned, and I’m sure it’ll be the same again in England.
“I know just how much all the guys are looking forward to it, and if we play to our capabilities, we have a genuine chance of progression. We’re well prepared and have already played a lot of cricket this year.
“The conditions in England will be more familiar to our players than our opposition, so that’s obviously a big advantage to us,” added McCallan.
The Ireland squad will prepare with a series of warm-up games plus an intensive training camp before the tournament gets under way at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, from Monday, June 8th.
Their first game at Trent Bridge will be against Bangladesh followed by a tough contest against India two days later. A win in either game would almost certainly guarantee Ireland a place in the quarter finals.
Beforehand Simmons’ side will take on New Zealand in a Twenty20 game at the Derbyshire County Ground this Wednesday before they move onto a training camp at Wormsley, where they will face a PCA Masters XI and the West Indies in practice games.
The squad will then face The Netherlands and the West Indies again in warm up games at Lord’s and The Oval.
Ireland will be at full strength with the exception of Eoin Morgan, who has been selected for the England Twenty20 squad after his impressive debut against the West Indies at the weekend.
Ireland squad:William Porterfield (Captain) (Gloucestershire), Andre Botha (North County), Jeremy Bray (The Hills), Peter Connell (North Down), Alex Cusack (Clontarf), Trent Johnston (Railway Union), Kyle McCallan (Waringstown), John Mooney (North County), Kevin O'Brien (Railway Union), Niall O'Brien (Northants) (w/k), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire), Paul Stirling (Carrickfergus), Regan West (Civil Service North), Andrew White (Instonians), Gary Wilson (Surrey)