IT COULDN'T be simpler, really. All Ireland must do to unlock the door to world cricket's inner sanctum is beat one lowly-ranked outfit who have lost their last six Twenty20 internationals. To repeat their feat of 2007, and make the staggering routine, they don't even need to resummon the spirit of the Caribbean or rely on notoriously fickle opponents going into meltdown. Just knock off Bangladesh again and it's can-can time in Nottingham.

Unfortunately, sport doesn't often work out like that and Niall O'Brien knows that Ireland face an enormously difficult task to reach the Super Eights of the second World Twenty20, which snapped into life last night after a week of friendly attrition, and which begins for him on Monday with a Group A tie against Bangladesh.

O'Brien is hardly shy when it comes to making predictions — at one point in our interview he refers to himself in the third person, and he bangs the drum for Ireland at any opportunity — but he prefers to lean on the view that nothing can be taken for granted in a cricket match that takes less time to wrap up than a round of golf.

'So far I've seen a bit more of Bangladesh than I have India — we saw them play at Lord's on Monday and although they lost to New Zealand, they looked a pretty decent team. 'They've been quite competitive so far and we'll have our work cut out for us in both matches,' declared the Northamptonshire wicket-keeper, whose blazing knock of 62 against South Africa on Thursday rekindled memories of the way he dismembered Pakistan's bowling in Jamaica on that day of St Patrick's Days.

'I think in the Twenty20 format there is an increased chance of an upset, and as far as we are concerned we know we can be competitive in both games and we are quietly confident of turning one of them over,' he continued. 'If it happens on Monday against Bangladesh and we get off to a winning start, we will be able to take a bit of confidence into the India match on Wednesday.

'I don't think there is much between us and Bangladesh, to be honest with you. I think our bowling attack is better than theirs and if Peter Connell and Boyd Rankin bowl well, they could be the key for us. 'Bangladesh have had more experience than us at international level, they are a young team and have a skipper in Mohammad Ashraful who is very talented. But we are looking forward to the game as it is our best chance of getting through the group. 'And hopefully, as on St Patrick's Day two years ago, I willl get some runs. It would be nice to have a wicket with a bit of pace and bounce in it.'

Realism has hit hard over the past ten days or so as the Irish warm-up lurched from one displeasing performance to another — games have been lost to New Zealand, West Indies (twice), the PCA Masters and the tournament favourites South Africa. O'Brien is quick to mitigate, and no less tardy in asserting that competitive games are the only meaningful basis for judgments to form. In any case, a warm-up win doesn't lighten the journey home for a team that messes up the serious business.

'A lot of the players have been feeling their way into it because they might not have played a lot of Twenty20 cricket except domestically, so we have been taking it day by day and we've been having plenty of chats about what went well and what didn't,' explained the 27-year-old. 'Warm-up games are what they are — warm-up games — and they are just designed to get you ready for the big match. We're confident we have a good bunch of players and we're looking forward to it.

'Last time in 2007 I think we lost four warm-up games, and we just can't wait to get out on the pitch at Trent Bridge on Monday — that's what really matters.'

The Tigers from Dhaka might have failed to spark with any consistency on the international circuit, but don't forget they have reached the Super Eights of the last two world gatherings, having ended West Indies' involvement in the inaugural 20-over carnival two years ago. Ashraful has some glittering talent at his disposal — Tamim Iqbal's fearless salvo knocked the stuffing out of India at the 2007 World Cup, spin-bowling all-rounder Sakib-al-Hasan is in the form of his life and strike bowler Masrafe bin Mortaza belts a long ball.

India, of course, require less introduction as multi-millionaires Mahendra Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag set out to defend their crown. And gone are the days of the Indians being all boil and no bubble — the IPL has raised standards across the board.

Now that Eoin Morgan — not that Ireland needed to rely on his runs in the Caribbean, remember — is giving his inventive energy to the English cause, Phil Simmons will look to O'Brien or William Porterfield to stand up as the mainstay of the Irish innings. Both left-handers have fared well in the county equivalent this season, and O'Brien's reserves of self-belief will only have been deepened by his fifty against Graeme Smith's Proteas, an effort which followed his chat with Sportsmail.

'From my side, I have played more Twenty20 cricket than anyone else in the squad and I suppose there is an extra responsibility on my shoulders, but Twenty20 is about backing yourself, playing with no fear and really having a good go at it,' said the Dubliner.

'There is extra responsibility but there are 14 other talented cricketers and everyone's got to believe they can do a job. It's not a case that if Niall O'Brien doesn't get any runs we can't win — far from it.

'I have come into a nice bit of form in the last few weeks in Twenty20s and I am really looking forward to the tournament. Hopefully I can get my name in lights again like the last World Cup.'