Get your passports out, this is turning in to a hell of a ride. Ireland's cricketers pulled off one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history at Sabina Park on Saturday. A two-week jolly just turned serious. By beating Pakistan, Ireland have become favourites to proceed to the Super Eights, the group stage of the tournament.
You know, that one they're not supposed to be in.
After a Paddy's Night to remember, the players and their travelling band of supporters are looking forward to the very real prospect of a trip to Guyana, and a probable first match against England on March 30th. If West Indies and Pakistan beat Zimbabwe, Ireland are through.
In all, qualification for the Super Eights would involve seven games over three weeks on a tour of duty also taking in Barbados and Grenada.
"Luck of the Irish" shouted the front page of the Jamaican Sunday Heraldthe day after one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history. They got it wrong.
When big teams go down, there is a thirst for analysis. How could it happen? This one is pretty simple to call: Ireland bowled better, fielded better and batted better.
Far from being felled by a puncher's lucky strike, Pakistan, ranked fourth in the world, were dismembered with precision by Ireland's group of semi-professional club players. But for a late blip in fading light towards the end of the day, it was a clinical piece of work.
To put the bowling performance in context, this was the second lowest total scored by Pakistan in a World Cup. Ireland reached Pakistan's revised total of 128 with three wickets in hand and 5.2 overs to spare.
Over the last week, Jamaica have extended a warm welcome to the travelling Irish, and on Saturday took their hospitality to a new high.
The groundsman produced a Paddy's Day wicket that owed more to Croke Park than Sabina, green and grassy, with an underlying dampness. The toss was critical. Captain Trent Johnston's smile when the coin came down revealed all. "We'll have a bowl," he told the awaiting TV anchor.
And bowl they did, Langford-Smith removing opener Mohammed Hafeez with just seven on the board.
The Pakistan middle order is arguably the best in the world. Collectively, Younis Khan, Mohammed Yousuf and Inzamam ul-Haq have amassed over 40,000 runs in all forms of international cricket. On Saturday they scored 16 between them.
Last year Yousuf scored more Test match runs in a calendar year than anyone in history, beating Viv Richard's 1976 record. He came to the wicket at 15 for 2 and stroked two cover-drives that banged in to the boards of the Party Stand, as if demanding silence.
He went trying a third, caught at point by William Porterfield, an exceptional fielder.
Inzamam followed quickly to Andre Botha, who's astonishing figures of 2 for 5 off 8, would have secured many a man-of-the-match award.
Botha's medium paced inswing suffocated the middle of the innings, building pressure on the lesser lights.
"Are you England in disguise?" shouted the Blarney Army from their enclave under the big scoreboard.
One delivery from Boyd Rankin spat off the wicket at Azhar Mahmood, who pulled off his gloves as much in anger as pain. It was the sort of delivery that saps the energy of a player, and tests his reserves of courage.
So it proved, as Mahmood's resistance was over next ball. Too short to pull and on him quickly, he top-edged to Johnston who took a good catch over his left shoulder at mid wicket.
The captain then went one better. His catch to remove Mohammed Sami summed up his one-eyed commitment to the cause.
Running full pelt towards the North Stand, Johnston dived full length to hold on to a stunning catch. It was a brilliant piece of work made more impressive because he went in to the game with an injured shoulder, picked up in the Zimbabwe game. He lay face down on the pitch, arms outstretched, his team-mates diving in to celebrate. As the physio administered treatment he still had the ball in his hands.
The final wicket was caught by 12th man John Mooney, who soloed in front of the ecstatic travelling support.
The Ireland innings began under a pewter sky, the light marginal for play. Sami immediately looked menacing. Bending the ball in to the left-hander's pads at just over 90mph, lbw was a constant threat.
Porterfield survived a close call, the umpire believing, wrongly, the ball had hit bat before pad - a let off. But perhaps making up for his error, umpire Brian Jerling then gave the first of two genuine shockers, giving Jeremy Bray out to a ball that started on middle before swerving wide of leg stump. One down, and Bray, the hero of the Zimbabwe game, gone. Just what Ireland wanted to avoid.
Then Eoin Morgan went to another lbw from Sami. Nerves were fraying. An innings of substance was needed.
Enter Niall O'Brien. His 72 won the game for Ireland on a pitch where no other batsman reached 30.
He walked to the wicket short of runs, not that you'd know it from his demeanour, his chin held high under his green helmet. There is substance beneath the bullish, cocky front. A series of beautifully timed off-drives added impetus to the innings at the right time. His technique is compact, and he plays straighter than most. His defensive shots were hitting mid-off's hands, a good sign.
As the runs flowed he got more attention from the Pakistan bowlers. Sami extended his follow through to within talking distance.
It was a dodgy tactic, the verbals met with a grin. "You should hear what they say in North County," was the message.
The quicker Pakistan bowlers failed to exploit conditions that were arguably worse, certainly in terms of light, than they had faced earlier in the day.
It was now very gloomy. The numbers on the electronic scoreboard shone bright orange. The monitors in the hospitality boxes flickered in the gloom.
As wickets started to fall at the other end, O'Brien was joined by his brother, Kevin. How their dad, Ginger, a former Ireland international, must have felt.
Offered the light, the batsmen scampered off. Then the rain came. So happy to see it were the massed ranks in the Party Stand they stood staring up in to the sky arms outstretched. Two days away from home and you start to miss the stuff.
When the innings resumed, Pakistan's total of 132 had been reduced by five for the delay.
Niall O'Brien advanced down to hit six over mid-on. He went next ball, stumped attempting a repeat.
A flurry of wickets followed. This was nerve-shredding stuff.
Flame-haired Kevin O'Brien was stoic. The figures do him little justice. This was a 16 of gargantuan proportions. With 10 needed, he hit a square cut. The ground erupted, the tension pierced. The Pakistani fielders chased it down in vain.
The crowd moved en masse to a reggae beat. The giant inflatable leprechaun was getting a pummelling.
One last blow, a six over mid on by the captain, and they were home.
Kingston scoreboard
Pakistan Innings
I Nazirc Morgan b A Botha 24
M Hafeezc N O'Brien b Langford-Smith 4
Y Khanc A Botha b Rankin 0
M Yousufc Porterfield b Johnston 15
Inzamam ul-Haqc Morgan b A Botha 1
S Malikc N O'Brien b K O'Brien 9
K Akmalc Johnston b Rankin 27
A Mahmoodc Johnston b Rankin 2
M Samic Bray b McCallan 12
I Anjumnot out 8
U Gulc Sub b McCallan 1
Extras(lb3 w23 nb3) 29
Total(45.4 overs) ... 132
Fall of wickets:1-7, 2-15, 3-56, 4-58, 5-66, 6-72, 7-103, 8-105, 9-130.
Bowling:Langford-Smith 10-1-31-1, Rankin 9-1-32-3, Botha 8-4-5-2, Johnston 7-1-20-1, K O'Brien 6-0-29-1, McCallan 5.4-1-12-2.
Ireland Innings
J Braylbw b Sami 3
W Porterfieldb Hafeez 13
E Morganlbw b Sami 2
N O'Brienst Akmal b Malik 72
A Bothac Hafeez b Sami 0
K O'Briennot out 16
A Whitec Hafeez b Iftikhar 4
W McCallanc Khan b Anjum 0
D Johnstonnot out 9
Extras(lb2 w11 nb1)14
Total(7 wkts, 41.4 overs) ... 133
Fall of wickets:1-7, 2-15, 3-62, 4-70, 5-108, 6-113, 7-113.
Did Not Bat:D Langford-Smith, W Rankin.
Bowling:Gul 9-0-24-0, Sami 10-0-29-3, Anjum 10-0-29-2, Mahmood 7.4-1-25-0, Hafeez 4-0-15-1, Malik 1-0-9-1.
Ireland beat Pakistan by 3 wkts (D/L Method)
