Cricket:Ireland coach Phil Simmons has kept faith with the same squad which played in the ICC World Twenty20 last month in the West Indies for this month's RSA Challenge one-day international against Australia at Clontarf on June 17th.
Simmons named a 13-man squad with the only players missing from that tournament being Civil Service North all-rounder Nigel Jones and George Dockrell, the 17-year-old Leinster left arm spinner.
Simmons admitted the unavailability of Dockrell was a big blow to the side. “It’s a pity that George can’t make the game, but he has exams which are obviously important to his future,” said Simmons.
“He’d been bowling really well and settled in superbly to international cricket. That has helped us offset the retirement of Kyle McCallan, and the injuries to Regan West.”
That said Simmons is looking forward to the opportunity for Ireland to themselves against the current world champions. “It’s a chance for the players to showcase their talents against the best in the business. We’re playing on home soil, in familiar conditions, and with the backing of our home fans.”
“We may have lost the surprise factor against the Full Member teams in the past few years, but we have certainly gained their respect. No one treats us lightly any more, as they know if their game drops, we are ready to pounce.
“I’ll be looking for the players to play with the same intensity that they showed in the West Indies. We did really well in the field against both West Indies and the eventual winners England.”
Captain William Porterfield is looking forward to the challenge at Castle Avenue. “It’s the one game that all the players have been talking about since the fixture was announced last year,” he said. “You can’t help but be motivated by the chance to play the world champions, especially in front of the home supporters.
“We all had a month together in the West Indies, and that tour was fantastic for both team spirit and preparing the squad for the international year ahead. There may be a few cobwebs as it’ll be six weeks since our last game, but everyone has been playing some sort of cricket. With the majority of the squad being full-time in cricket now, I don’t think there’ll be any problems with rustiness. We have three days training in Dublin before the game, so we’ll be well prepared come match day.”
“It’ll be a great experience playing against players of the calibre of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey and Mitchell Johnson. We’ll certainly not be overawed though – we’ve played in three world cups now, and have got over that stage of our careers. It’ll be a great occasion for everybody in Irish cricket, and hopefully a day to remember.”
Ireland squad (v Australia)
William Porterfield (capt) (Gloucestershire), Trent Johnston (Railway Union), Andre Botha (North County), Peter Connell (North Down), Alex Cusack (Clontarf), Gary Kidd (Waringstown), John Mooney North County), Kevin O’Brien (Railway Union), Niall O’Brien (Northants), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire), Paul Stirling (Middlesex), Andrew White (Instonians), Gary Wilson (Surrey)