THE Twenty20 World Cup qualifier which kicks off next Saturday in Stormont is the most important tournament for Irish cricket since the 2005 ICC Trophy. A place in the top three will ensure Cricket Ireland is not left behind in the brave new – and perilous – world that the game has entered.
Coach Phil Simmons believes Ireland has a great chance to make another mark on the front rank nations should we qualify for the World Cup in England next June: 'We showed in the Caribbean that the associates always have a chance. That's even more the case in 20/20 where the disciplines are condensed. In 50 overs the big teams can still come back after a bad start, but in 20/20 there's more chance of upsets.'
A key man in Simmons' plans is Trent Johnston, who returns to competitive internationals after he stepped down as captain in March.
'More than anything I've missed the changing room, being with the boys and Roy,' he explained to Inside Edge this weekend. 'I feel good now the body's come back to normal.My shoulder's fine, and although the elbow needed a cortisone injection a month ago, I was able to bowl last Saturday without feeling any pain.
'I'm excited to be back for Ireland. I got the kit the other night and it was like I was making my debut again. I laid it all out to look at it. Its lucky we built the extension this year because I have so much gear to fit in the attic now.
'Simmo asked me to make myself available for the European games that Eoin and Niall couldn't play in but I didn't want to just pick and choose games. I'm available for all Ireland's four day and 20/20 matches. I think I have something to offer still, and I showed that in the 20/20 games against Bangladesh and Lashings.'
Johnston's mother Anne arrived in Dublin yesterday morning and, as she hasn't seen him play since Sabina Park, he'll be keen to turn it on.
A £25 ticket will get you into all 11 games over the four days in Stormont next weekend. Two lucky readers of Inside Edge can win a pair of tickets by answering this question. Who scored Ireland's only century at the 2007 World Cup? Post your answers to me at the Sunday Tribune, 15 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, or send to the email address below. Entries close Tuesday morning.
Trent Johnston is in cracking form for his club in the Leinster competitions, with the newly published averages showing him on top of the batting table with 508 runs at 84.7, ahead of two promising young players in Graham McDonnell (Pembroke) and Adrian D'Arcy (Clontarf). The latter made 200 runs last weekend for once out.
Merrion paceman Matt Petrie is atop the bowling averages with 19 wickets at 8, closely followed by clubmate Titiksh Patel and two more young shavers in Eddie Richardson (North County) and Conor Kelly (Phoenix). Gerry Byrne's meticulously prepared statistics see Dara Armstrong (North County) as top keeper, Tom Fisher (Railway) top catcher, and Sami Singh (Old Belvedere) leading all-rounder.
Inside Edge mentioned mackey.com earlier in the season, the blog written by former Clontarf groundsman Karl McDermott who now works on the staff of the Worcestershire club. Mackey – European groundsman of the year 2007 – gives a great insight into the county scene and a recent entry shows how clubs manipulate the conditions: 'the coach wanted quite a bit of grass left on the pitch as he was backing our strong pace attack to come out on top. So it was to my surprise that when we won the toss we batted!' The groundstaff were even more irked that this reflection on their work was witnessed by the ECB pitch liaision officer, especially as 17 wickets fell on day one.
Happily, the PLO saw nothing untoward and no points were docked. He also explains how the club ‘glue' cracked pitches. Sixteen litres of PVA glue was bought from the local hardware store and mixed with water before being sprayed on the track. Although the pitch looked 'ugly' it played well, with a bit more pace than usual. It has been a couple of weeks since the blog was updated but fascinating reading nonetheless.