O'Brien ton helps Ireland shock England

Brilliant Ireland Shock England

bbc.co.uk

I sometimes wonder what it is that makes me so anti-English. Some of my best friends are English or live in England. I have several English relatives - my dearly beloved brother married an English woman and my equally dearly beloved sister lives in Derbyshire. Most of the people who read this blog are English. And yet every time I see a headline like that one up there it fills my heart with joy.

There is an element of patriotism - living on a wee island like this we rarely get to savour sporting success. It is also partly because little Ireland took on the mighty English at a game the English invented and won. I imagine it also has something to do with having a preference for the colour green over blue. But mainly I just like it when England lose at something - especially to the Irish.

They've not done anything to deserve my vitriol. Okay, they didn't exactly behave particularly well towards the Irish in the 18th Century - or various points since; they could have probably conducted themselves better to put it mildly. But mass evictions, national persecution and a decidedly cruel stance during famines aside - they've never done anything to me personally.

But here I am, grinning like a loon. All because I watched England take an unassailable lead in a cricket match - only to have it assailed by a courageous bunch of amateurs in green. As I watched Ed Joyce - the man who had been Irish, only for the English to poach him, only to become Irish again when the Englanders grew bored of him, rack up 32 runs I smiled. As I watched Kevin O'Brien score the fastest century in World Cup history (113 off 63 balls; he hit the 100 mark on his 50th delivery) I positively beamed; and when John Mooney smashed the ball for four to win the match with five balls to spare I was delirious. And I don't even like cricket that much.

Forgive me my unjustifiable prejudices. I accept I have them and shouldn't - but I just don't get to air them very often.

Ireland's Foreign Legion

Today Ireland will walk out to meet England in the Super 8 stage of the Cricket World Cup in Guyana. It's incredible to think that Ireland have managed to make it this far - to be in the top 8 teams in the World Cup is a phenomenal achievement. But this game against the English is special for one particular reason. Opening the batting for England will be a left hander Irishman called Ed.

Ed Joyce was born in Dublin - and the last time I saw him play it was for Ireland. I can't help thinking its a shame he won't be pulling on the green today - we'd stand a much better chance if he was. I don't blame him; if I was given the option of playing for more money at a much higher level I'd be a fool to turn it down. Still, I think it's a shame.

Of course Ed isn't the first, nor will he be the last, non native to play for England. They've had Scottish captains, welsh wicket keepers and at this World Cup they have players from Kenya (Jamie Dalryple) and South Africa (Kevin Pietersen & Andrew Strauss.)

It surely makes it difficult for the so-called smaller countries to compete with the top test playing nations if those nations cream off the best talent. It stands to reason that, say England had Ireland's best 4 players, they would stand a good chance of beating them every time. I understand why it happens. I just think it's a shame.

Of course Ireland are no saints themselves in this respect. The Irish team were up playing a match in Limavady a year or so ago and I went across to meet some of them at training. I think I heard two Irish accents all day. Their World Cup squad reads like this: Trent Johnston (Australian), Andre Botha (South African), Jeremy Bray (Australian), David Langford-Smith (Australian) but then we have Kenneth Carroll (Irish), Peter Gillespie (Northern Irish), Kyle McCallan (Northern Irish), John Mooney (Irish), Paul Mooney (Irish), Eoin Morgan (Irish), Kevin O'Brien (Irish), Niall O'Brien (Irish), William Porterfield (Northern Irish), Boyd Rankin (Northern Irish) and Andrew White (Northern Irish.) The difference is that the Irish have taken criticism about their foreign imports - from English pundits! Anyone notice a hint of hypocrisy anywhere there?

Trent is married to an Irish girl with two Irish kids; Jeremy Bray has lived in Ireland as long as I can remember, as has Andre Botha. People are welcome to their own opinions but in a small way it motivates us even more, particularly the guys born and bred in Ireland to show they can compete at this level.
Kyle McCallan - Ireland's Vice Captain

I think that England should remember where their two best batsmen come from. How would they like to be playing these games without Joyce and Pietersen? In my mind if an Irish team (even one with three Australians and a South African) can beat an English team (even one with two South Africans, a Kenyan and an Irishman) then there will be no shame in it whatsoever.