Ireland's most capped player Kyle McCallan is relishing the opportunity to play once again on the world stage. The 33 year old Belfast schoolteacher was one of Ireland's cricketing heroes during their memorable campaign in the West Indies, and his frugal off spin drew universal praise from many respected commentators of the game.

'It's an exciting and at the same time daunting prospect to be participating in these finals. The shorter form of the game gives us a chance, and you saw how the Dutch performed in beating England, and how Scotland batted against New Zealand. We've a definite chance of pulling off another giant-killing. It sends out the message that anything is possible in this game.'

What did McCallan make of the surprise Netherlands win? 'I thought England took them lightly, and they should have known better. I think if they had been playing Pakistan then both Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann would have played. It came back to bite them. I thought the Dutch played brilliant cricket – yes, lady luck smiled on them a bit, but fortune favours the brave, and they were certainly that.'

How did McCallan adapt his bowling plans in the abbreviated format of the game? 'You've got to try and vary it as much as possible. You try and second guess what they are going to do. The trick is trying to prevent the boundaries in your over. If they score a boundary, and pick up singles and two, then you find you've gone for 10 in the over, which is too many. You've got to mix it up, so they can't execute their plans.'

Did another international tournament rekindle the enthusiasm after 213 caps? 'It's fantastic. Events like this are always the carrot dangling there. The 2011 World Cup is another incentive to keep going. You realize just how fortunate you are when you see the crowds and the stadiums, and also the opposition you're up against. It's what I dreamed about doing when I was a wee boy at school, so I'll keep going for a while yet.'

What did McCallan feel about their opponents in the Group stage, Bangladesh and India? 'We've had a few recent games with Bangladesh. They were clever enough to realize that they were only ever going to take us on in their own back-yard. It's a tough place to tour, and the conditions were totally alien to us. We played their ‘A' side in Irish conditions last year, and won convincingly, and I see quite a few of those players are in their squad this time around. That said, they seem to have improved and are playing good cricket at present. We're going to have to be at the top of our game to have a go at them.'

'We watched the world champions India at Lord's in a warm up game with New Zealand, and you see first hand how well they time and hit the ball, clearing the boundaries. There's two ways of looking at it. If you're fearful and overawed, then you're never going to perform. We've nothing to lose and if we go out and give it a real go, then who knows? We managed it in 2007 when we beat Pakistan, one of the tournament favourites.'

What of the likely composition of the Ireland team? 'There's serious competition for places within the squad. All 15 are capable of contributing, and you know you've got to perform. If you don't contribute, then you won't have the jersey. It's a sign of how far we've come over the past 7 or 8 years or so. At the start of the decade you could just rock up and play, as your place was set in stone. That's certainly no longer the case and it can only be good for Irish cricket.'