Coach Phil Simmons Excited with Ireland's Positive Performance in Defeating West Indies in World Cup Opener

Ireland's Coach Phil Simmons says Ireland excited him today with the brand of positive cricket they played.

Simmons says preparations for the past four months have been brilliant and the evidence was clear to see today on the pitch.

Simmons will become a West Indies fan from now on, and for the rest of the competition. But when you're playing against his team, he's only on one side, and that's Ireland's.

Barry Chambers: Phil fantastic win, but it is only one win, a long way to go yet?

Phil Simmons: Yeah it's just the first game, but I think all around in the field and in the way that the top four batted, the way how they batted is the way we want to play cricket, whether we win or lose the game, that's the way we want to play, in a positive way. And it excited me today, the way we played cricket.

Barry Chambers: Is that the best you've seen Ireland play with the bat?

Phil Simmons: Em yeah yeah, all round with the bat, with the ball, with everything, it's the best I've seen so far. And it just augers well for the future. But you know, it's good that we've had a steady top six, and that makes a big difference, you know.

Barry Chambers: And maybe a word about Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Niall O'Brien, I mean is that as well as you've seen the three of them play?

Phil Simmons: Yeah I think the Skipper too. The Skipper started well, you know, we're coming into, I think they where the play four fast bowlers, and they think that we're not going to be able to cope with the speed in the first couple of overs.

Two of them are pulled for six by the Skipper, and you know, it just changes the way how the rest of the team sees it. So I think all the top four played really well, and they gave the bottom half a platform to work on, and we played the fool a little bit at the end, but you know, it's great.

Barry Chambers: And the preparation maybe hasn't been ideal. But we have been here, Acclimatisation Tour, and you're always going to peak at the right time, is that the plan?

Phil Simmons: The preparation has been great. The preparation for the last four months had been brilliant. So I don't see anything that was wrong with the preparation. So I think that we prepared well, and just the right time for everything to come together.

Barry Chambers: Any sympathy for the West Indies? I mean they looked a very beaten side from a long way out?

Phil Simmons: Eh I don't have sympathy for my opponents. It doesn't, it's not in me. If we're playing against you, I have to win the game. It comes maybe the next game I'll be supporting them, you know definitely. But when you're playing against me, I'm supporting me and me alone.