IRELAND could get a rare opportunity to play competitive games against the top teams in the world next month. The International Cricket Council will today decide on the fate of the Champions Trophy competition, due to begin in Pakistan in less than three weeks -- and Ireland are set to be invited should, as expected, England, New Zealand, and South Africa pull out.
The recent turmoil in the country -- the last week has seen suicide bombings and the resignations of the country's president and the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board -- has terrified the world's cricketers and players from those three test countries have expressed reluctance to travel. Australia have also been advised not to do so.
The Champions Trophy is a biannual tournament open to the top eight in the world rankings. Ireland are currently tenth on the strength of their two wins and a tie at the 2007 World Cup.
Cricket Ireland's chief executive, Warren Deutrom, has been monitoring the situation closely and got soundings from the Ireland squad earlier this month on what might be their attitude should a vacancy arise. "The squad was happy to embrace the idea and the opportunity from a cricketing perspective. However that was before the latest Taliban action and Musharraf's resignation. They wouldn't be human if they didn't have some concerns."
Deutrom acknowledged these worries: "We will not be cavailier with squad safety," he said, "We will receive the appropriate information and advice from ICC and the Irish government. It would be fantastic to have the opportunity to be on the world stage again so soon, but time is running out for us to get things in place, for example squad availability, kit etc."
The ICC meet today to make a decision, with mutterings from India that the main tv partner, ESPN, is keen to see the event move to Sri Lanka. The broadcaster will not be happy if England and Australia -- and their lucrative tv markets -- boycott the trophy.
Money will undoubtedly have a big say, with a strong possibility being a postponement of the event until the situation in Pakistan calms down.
THE most capped Irish sportsman or woman of all time reaches the astonishing milestone of 200 internationals tomorrow. Kyle McCallan has long been Ireland's most capped cricketer, but to pass such a mark -- and at age 32 -- is a testament to a rare talent, commitment and fitness in a amateur sportsman.
"I've been fortunate to play at a time when the oppportunies were plentiful, especially in recent years. I look at the likes of Roy Torrens who played for 15 or 16 years and picked up 40 or 50 caps." McCallan won his 100th cap exactly five years ago, and has been racking up caps as Ireland's programme exploded -- they played 28 times last year and 25 so far in 2008, with at least seven more to come.
Even so, he is well clear of the most capped in other team sports. Rachel Kohler won 166 hockey caps, a sport which Paddy Brown played 151 times for Ireland. Pat Jennings won 119 caps, Steve Staunton 102 and Malcolm O'Kelly 91. When you consider the duration of cricket matches -- the very shortest are twice as long as those games -- then McCallan has surely worn a green shirt for the equivalent of more than 1,000 football caps.
McCallan's fondest memory is a no-brainer: "the World Cup, and especially the Pakistan game. That's the one I'll be telling my grandkids about." He also greatly enjoyed the win over Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup in 2006 and savours his bowling that day, and against Bangladesh in Barbados.
It was an Irish career that started with a bang, with a wicket first ball and a second-cap century. He scored another ton shortly after but has since slipped far down the order. "I really enjoyed batting in one of the European Championships (2006) when I made 50 against Holland in 30 balls and an unbeaten 46 against Scotland."
The most celebrated of his 219 wickets was that of Brian Lara, who he bowled for 0 in 1998, but he has accumulated some top scalps, including Matt Hayden twice and Kevin Pietersen, one of his ten World Cup victims.
"I don't know if I regret not making it in England, because I didn't particularly enjoy my time there", he says of his trials with Derbyshire and Surrey. "Derbyshire rankles with me a bit, because I bowled exceptionally well during my trails there, but they didn't call,and that was that."
Although he turns 33 on Wednesday, there is no talk of retirement for one of the fittest members of the Irish squad. "he only problem is the level of commitment and the time you spend away from home and work. I thought I'd retire after the worldcup, but there was always something else to aim for. Now there's the World Cup qualifiers, the Twenty20 World Cup, the 2011 WorldCup..."
Last week Inside Edge mentioned that former Leinster cricketer Carol Metchette is umpiring at the Olympic hockey tournament. Our thanks to eagle-eared Alan Tuffery who noticed that the stadium commentator in Beijing pronounced her name as ‘machete'. A cruel cut, indeed.
NEARfm, 90.3fm, will be doing ball-by-ball commentary on the postponed Antalis Leinster Senior Cup Final at Castle Avenue next Saturday. The final between Clontarf and North County will commence at 10.30am.