THE FRIDAY COLUMN, NO.2

Ger Siggins

THIS weekend the cricketers of England and West Indies contest the final of the World Twenty20, three full weeks after Ireland crashed out at the first stage. Since Phil Simmons’ side beat Bangladesh at Trent Bridge in their first-ever appearance in the finals in 2009, nine more games have been played without a win.

After the preliminary round defeats to Oman and Netherlands in Dharamsala, wise heads nodded and sagely opined that “it’s not really our format”, as if four-day cricket was what the Irish were reared upon.

But what about all those Alan Murray and Faughan Valley Cup games? Did they stand for nothing when our long-format boys came a cropper against the Omanis?

There’s no doubt Cricket Ireland has decided to prioritise the four-day and 50 over game as likelier pathways to the glory and attention it needs to make progress at home and abroad.

I have little issue with that, although the shortest format is definitely the best way to get convert new supporters and can’t just be shelved until the next qualifiers three years hence.

So did Cricket Ireland miss a trick in sending the same old squad to Himachal Pradesh? Would a side of T20 specialists have made a difference?

I wager a side that included David Rankin, Tyrone Kane, Barry McCarthy and Lee Nelson might have beaten Oman. They certainly couldn’t have done much worse.

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THE idea that we don’t produce T20 cricketers is nonsense, or at least it was a nonsense when T20 was first introduced a decade ago.

The modern IPL game is almost unrecognisable from the 20 over club cricket played on balmy Irish midweek evenings in the 1980s and 1990s when 100 was usually a winning score.

Here’s a personal selection from our past that, all things being equal, would take on and beat the current Ireland T20 side.

Alf Masood: top class batsman who was good enough to hit 89 off 89 balls against his native Pakistan. Canny batsman with a shot for every ball who would keep score ticking over before demolishing attacks.

Desmond Curry: had he been born 20 years later Decker would be a very wealthy man. Twenty20 would have been his playground and his fearless batting known the world over.

Peter Gillespie: Just missed the T20 era, but his cultured batting and varied bowling surely would have counted. He could up the gears too, viz his 47-ball century in an ICC Trophy warm-up in 2005.

John Prior: Another whose range of shots could expand if his mood was up, and his 51-ball century against Warwickshire would have led to a county career if he had been more consistent.

Andy McFarlane: seven caps and a batting average of 10 mightn’t seem impressive, but his versatile batting and useful spin would have made this Sion Mills legend a cap centurion in the modern era.

Alec O’Riordan: Ireland’s finest ever bowler, his left-arm pace and big-hitting would have made him a perfect No.6 in our T20 dream team.

Dermott Monteith (capt): Great strategist and would have backed himself to bowl in almost any situation – certainly with Oman needing 14 to win!

Roy Torrens: Usually batted 9 or 10 for Ireland, but as the best hitter of a ball ever seen by one long-serving international bowler he’s moved up our order. His pace and bounce would have been dangerous in T20.

Jimmy Boucher: his medium-paced off-breaks were feared by many touring sides, and there’s no doubt he could have made it in any era – if he could be persuaded to play limited overs cricket!

Simon Corlett: would have been a great asset in T20 with his control and variety of deliveries, and a useful bat down the order too.

Paul Jackson (wkt): the greatest gloveman ever would have revelled in the hustle of T20, and his inventive batting would have been useful.

FIRST RESERVES: Batting - Sean Clarke (CYM), Bowling - Ernie Jones (Leinster), Keeping – Tommy Harpur (Sion Mills).