Ireland: Can the rub of the green go their way?

After narrowly missing out on a spot in the 2019 ICC World Cup, Ireland will want to set the record straight in the upcoming ICC World Cup Qualifiers. 

They are placed in Group B with Sri Lanka, Scotland, Oman, and UAE. 

Based on the personnel they have in place, they will be strong contenders to qualify for the World Cup. Ireland will be disappointed with anything less than that. The Andy Balbirnie-led side has most bases covered. All-rounders, batters, bowlers, pacers, spinners, etc. You name it, and they mostly have it. 

Harry Tector, the ICC Player Of The Month in May, has been in striking form recently. His numbers have seen a marked improvement in the last two years. In his first two years, he played 17 matches at an average of 36.5 and a strike rate of 74. Meanwhile, since the beginning of 2022, he has played 15 matches at corresponding numbers of 76.9 and 90.9.

Ireland will be expecting him to replicate his recent performances, as he will shoulder most of the batting responsibilities. It helps that the likes of Balbirnie and Paul Stirling bring in oodles of experience in what is a relatively young batting lineup. 

With Stephen Doheny missing the bus for the World Cup Qualifiers, Ireland will most likely revert back to their tried and tested combination of Balbirnie and Stirling at the top. 

Since 2020, the Irish skipper is the only batter to have played more than ten innings at the #3 position. But, him moving back to opening leaves the spot vacant. 

It remains to be seen if they persist with the Andy McBrine experiment or do they go to Lorcan Tucker (#3 in T20Is), who’s blown hot and cold at the top. 

 “PJ Moor’s experience in Zimbabwean conditions and his versatility batting anywhere from 1 to 7 gives us great cover," Andrew White said. 

Going by what Andrew White (Ireland men’s team selector) said, it won’t entirely out of the blue if the former Zimbabwean cricketer comes straight into the XI to occupy the #3 position. 

The presence of Mark Adair, Josh Little, Craig Young, Barry McCarthy, Graham Hume and Curtis Campher gives a well-rounded feel to their attack. Add the fact that Adair and Campher also bat in the top 8, and it gives them a lot more flexibility to play around with. 

While most players pick themselves, another point to ponder is whether they go ahead with an additional spinner. Barring George Dockrell and Paul Stirling, there’s not much in the spin reserves. This is where someone like Ben White could be handy. The 24-year-old is yet to make his ODI debut, but conditions in Zimbabwe would be conducive enough for him to be handed a cap. 

“We’re heading into a big few months and it’s looking at what personnel we need from a tactical point of view, who are in form, and a squad composition that suits the conditions we are likely to face.”

“In the latter stages of the tournament, for example, we are likely to be playing on used pitches, so that’s where we see the value of a Ben White coming to the fore,” Andrew White said.

Ireland has grown leaps and bounds in the ODI format from the last couple of years. They tied a series with South Africa (1-1) in 2021 and won against West Indies (2-1) in 2022. 

Last year, they also toured New Zealand, where they lost the series (0-3). But, two of those losses came off the last ball of the match, a clear reflection of their improved showing. Even in the recent series against Bangladesh, they might have lost the series (0-2), but both those losses again came in the last over. 

Given WCQ’s format, translating these performances into wins is more crucial than ever before. 

Each side will play the other teams in their group once, with the top three from each group progressing to the Super Six stage. In the Super Six, they will play the sides they did not meet in the group stage.

All points won in the group stage will be carried over to the Super Six stage, apart from those gained against the teams that fail to make it to the Super Six stage. The two top teams after the Super Six stage will contest the final and will both progress to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Their first game will be on June 18 against a confident Omani unit, who made it to the WCQ by finishing second in League 2. 

Squad: Andrew Balbirnie (C), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (WK), Ben White, Craig Young