Roar Rookie
Joined July 2019
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Medieval historian. Cricket and football (soccer) tragic. Also fond of rugby union, netball, tennis, and ice hockey. British, Irish, Australian and Canadian.
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So, in the end, there wasn’t much hope. If Ireland had not played so well on the first two days, it would not hurt…
Ireland, said W. B. Yeats, was ‘no country for old men’. In a whirl of emotions, ‘that sensual music’ of the early twentieth century,…
If I had grown up in Northern Ireland, the land of my parents and ancestors, I probably wouldn’t have been a cricket tragic. I…
Look after the singles and the sixes will look after themselves. Look after the sixes and the singles will look after themselves. Sixes have…
Yeah – better for the younger players to come out and play grade cricket if anything.
Where do Ireland go from here?
Oh, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having overseas players! I actually admire England’s inclusiveness. And Ireland have had lots over the years – the great Trent Johnston, not to mention Tim Murtagh. The issue with the Netherlands is that they seem to *rely* on overseas-born players in the absence of locals – I just fear they don’t have a sustainable base.
Where do Ireland go from here?
Not until he stops playing for England – he couldn’t play for Ireland in tests and England in ODIs at the same time. There might be a qualification period after he retires from England as well. My hope is that he retires from England soon and sees out his career playing for Ireland again. After Ed Joyce retired – and with Porterfield’s form dropping off badly – we definitely need an experienced top-order batsman.
Where do Ireland go from here?
Ha, hello Nigel! I think if we had got through the 10 overs without losing a wicket, we’d have won the match – that’s when the mental collapse happened. We’ve played a fair bit of long-format cricket over the years, but there’s a massive step up from playing an intercontinental cup match against the Netherlands in front of twelve people. My terror is that half this team will be retired the next time we play England – will we be able to produce a Test quality team again? That said, I was pleasantly surprised by how well Adair bowled, and I thought McCollum looked a very organised player.
Where do Ireland go from here?
My main issue with the Netherlands is the lack of homegrown players – they still rely heavily on South Africans and Australians for the national team. I don’t know what the grassroots are like and if there’s any cricket in schools at all?
Where do Ireland go from here?
Lovely to have a Scottish perspective (and go Belfast! Although I honestly don’t give a fig for T20 cricket, which I suppose is why I’m so concerned about preserving and spreading test cricket).
I wouldn’t expect the ECB to look out for Scotland and Ireland – they have their own team to worry about. But I do think the decision re: Irish players in the Championship is very unfortunate.
I think this match has shown the value of Tests, not just as a spectacle, but also for legitimacy and respect. When Ireland and Scotland beat England in ODIs – even in the WC – it was just a blip. My impression from my English cricket-watching friends is that they’ve suddenly jolted up and taken real notice of Irish cricket this week.
Where do Ireland go from here?
I believe the next Afg test is away again (presumably in India), then home in 2022? Yes, it’d be great if we could get to Australia. I think there’s a home match against NZ at some point as well, which is pretty hype.
Where do Ireland go from here?
It’s not about whether they’re good enough, it’s about the rules. Is a county team going to pick James McCollum over Rahane or Williamson? When they were just treated as local players it was fine, but the opportunities aren’t there. I believe Shield cricket is even more restrictive about overseas players isn’t it? There certainly haven’t been many!
Where do Ireland go from here?
Hi Paul! We’ve definitely gone down the expat/descendant route in the past – Tim Murtagh (born in London) is the only one in the current squad, along with Simi Singh who’s an immigrant from India. In the past people like the great Trent Johnston really brought the game in Ireland forward.
The only fear is that we might have overextended ourselves a touch. I don’t think we’ll collapse, but we definitely need investment!
Where do Ireland go from here?
Hi Ian, like your ideas here, particularly the Home Championships. Wales are obviously a bit of an oddity, because of course England is actually “England and Wales”. With Glamorgan being in the Country Championship, I don’t know if they’d want or be able to expand further.
Where do Ireland go from here?
I don’t think Brexit will have an effect. If there’s a border in Ireland, it’ll add a few minutes on the NI-based players’ journeys to Dublin, that’s about it. Unfortunately, Irish internationals playing in the Championship is already being scaled back – nothing to do with work permits, everything do with the ECB, who have decided to treat Irish players like other Overseas players. I.e. counties can only have one overseas player, except for “Kolpak” players, who aren’t allowed to play for other countries. Which is understandable, in that they want to protect their England pipeline, but could be a disaster for Ireland.
Where do Ireland go from here?
Thanks Paul! Yes, I managed to see it all (6am start here in Canada – could be worse!). It was pretty unbelievable!
A day for Ireland's old men
Hopefully I’ll have something up from an Irish perspective shortly. A word of warning to Australia though. Last year, a full-strength England side lost to Scotland in an ODI. Only a couple weeks later they completed a 5-0 drubbing of Australia, and now of course they’re world champions.
England humiliated by Ireland - 85 all out
Leach is a quality player, easily the best spinner in England – whether he gets a chance to show that in this test is the question. Broad and Stone obviously did much better later in the day. Woakes should probably have been rested – I think Gregory would have done well here. But Anderson, Archer and Wood were all out injured for this match. The bowlers clearly aren’t the issue for England at the moment!
What the Ireland vs England Test match means to me
Cheers, Paul! Hopefully I’ll be able to catch some of the match from here, and maybe knock together some match reports – not sure if there’ll be many people writing about it on the site!
What the Ireland vs England Test match means to me
For sure. Ordinarily, I would say that Scotland aren’t there yet, but I do think Scotland and Ireland could be mutually sustaining.
Where do Ireland go from here?