Ireland
Really the first big test. The biggest issue with a team like Ireland is that even your best players might only be decent enough at county level. There isn’t much opportunity to test them out and very little, if any depth to your team let alone your squad. A bad tournament for one player puts you in difficulty, two can finish you off. Selection is reasonably simple, simply because there are so few option.
The first challenge is qualification and we kick off our qualifying group with a tidy win against Sri Lanka, possibly the strongest opposition in the group overhauling their total of 140. Next up I feel confident after we put 168 on the Netherlands only to see them knock it off in the last over a few tweaks are made to the bowling attack, instead of running with Tyrone Kane, Craig Young, Peter Chase, Mark Adair and Andy McBrine I switch to Kane, Young, Adair, Gareth Delany and McBrine. We edge Namibia by just three runs to make it through. Confidence drains away somewhat.
Going into the Super 12 the goal is to beat the two lower ranked teams, Scotland and Afghanistan with major success defined as taking the scalp of one of New Zealand, India or Pakistan. We play Afghanistan first up, bowl them for just 105 and stroll home. Next up we get the daylights kicked out of us by India who put 182 on us and then bowl us for all of 58. We bounce back to beat Scotland by bowling them for 119. New Zealand turn the tables and we can manage just 79 in our 20 overs. The last match is against Pakistan and our last chance for a big scalp – this is our final. Asked to bat first we put on 170-5, our biggest total by far, and bowl them for just 130! A famous victory and a hugely satisfying feeling.
Position – 4th in Group on net run rate.
Player of the tournament – Mark Adair. Poor with the bat but a fantastically solid bowler once he was moved to first change, 19 wickets at an average of just 10.32 and economy of 6.12. In the whipping we were given by India he took 4-16 in his four overs.
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