Ireland need players who can match enduring brilliance of prolific Joyce
Tim Wigmore’s weekly look at the game below the Test-playing nations
So much of Ireland’s cricketing ascent can be traced back to a young boy flicking through radio stations in 1950. Jimmy Joyce stumbled upon Test Match Special, and a lifetime’s infatuation was born.
Five of Jimmy’s seven children have gone on to represent Ireland at cricket. And while the twins Isobel and Cecelia, for a long time the captain and best batter in the women’s side, have performed sterlingly, no one has done more than Ed to lift the image of Irish cricket.
He was the first cricketer born and bred in Ireland for over 50 years to make a success of county cricket, giving counties notice of the talent that exists in the Emerald Isle. He performed magnificently in the World Cup qualifiers in 2005, to lift Ireland to their first World Cup.
While he spent the 2007 World Cup with England, rather than Ireland, Joyce’s return to Ireland, in 2007, has been a boon to Irish cricket. He has continued to perform with such distinction in county cricket that England selector Angus Fraser has admitted to regretting that he could not pick Joyce for England’s Test side.
But Joyce is Irish, and very proud of it. In last year’s World Cup, he articulated the anger of the associate world at their deplorable treatment by cricket’s governing elite off the pitch – and led the way on it, too, with a sparkling 84 against the West Indies and a century against Zimbabwe in Ireland’s two wins over full members.
Since the World Cup, Joyce’s contribution to Ireland’s cause has only been more spectacular. In his first two innings of the Intercontinental Cup campaign, which now offers a pathway to Test cricket, Joyce cruised to run-a-ball double centuries: against associate bowling, he is master of all that he surveys.
Deep into his 38th year, Joyce is playing better than ever, Irish cricket’s very own Misbah-ul-Haq. How he proved as much against Afghanistan. Promoted to open for the first time in four years, Joyce underpinned Ireland’s successful chase with an unbeaten 105 in the third ODI, and had designs of doing the same in the next game, until being wrongly adjudged runout after blatant cheating from Mohammad Nabi.
Suitably riled, he unfurled a superb unbeaten 160 in the final game, calm accumulation giving way to brutality as he took just 25 balls to advance from 100 to 150, allowing Ireland to tie the series.
Yet, for all his brilliance, Ireland should be worried about their reliance on him. In the two games when Joyce failed to score centuries – and he still managed 62 in the second game and 12 until his egregious dismissal in the fourth – Ireland only mustered 211 and 150. It was a terrifying glimpse of a Joyceless future.
Deep into his 38th year, Joyce is playing better than ever – Irish cricket’s very ow Misbah-ul-Haq and how he proved it against Afghanistan
Ireland can claim some mitigation. Niall O’Brien, whose bravado and combativeness have been at the heart of many famous Irish cricketing days, missed the series through injury, as did Andy Balbirnie; concussion ruled John Anderson out of the last three games. But Ireland will need to develop depth if they are to adapt and survive their radically enhanced fixture schedule.
The treatment of Paul Stirling showed some recognition of Ireland’s batting problems. Stirling is a ball-striker of rare timing and power, and two ODI centuries against Pakistan before his 23rd birthday attest to his quality.
But his penchant for a belligerent 20and-out is infuriating in an opening batsman. That, allied to Ireland’s lack of clean ball-striking at the death, where they have been far too reliant upon Kevin O’Brien, led to John Bracewell deciding to shift Stirling to No 6: quite the change considering Stirling had batted in the top three, normally as opener, in his first 64 ODIs.
The experiment was no more than a qualified success. Stirling failed twice, but helped Ireland home with a fine 39 not out in the third game. If the rationale – to allow Ireland to wreak havoc at the death – can be understood, Stirling is too belligerent a batsman to be shunted down to No 6. Perhaps moving him up to No 4 would be a better compromise, shielding him from the new ball while still allowing him to build a substantial innings.
Stirling is not the only one in need of more runs. Except for Kevin O’Brien, who looks fitter and better than ever, there is a distinctly flaky feel to Ireland’s order: William Porterfield had a wretched series; Sean Terry, in his first three ODIs, barely scored a run; Stuart Poynter looked a little overwhelmed when asked to bat at No 4. At least Gary Wilson, who has endured a dire summer for Surrey, scored a resourceful half-century in the last ODI.
Ireland’s bowling was altogether more encouraging: Barry McCarthy and Peter Chase bowled with vim, meaning there is now real competition in the pace attack alongside Tim Murtagh and Boyd Rankin, who was unable to play this series.
But none of this changes the underlying concerns over Ireland’s batting. Pakistan, Australia and South Africa now loom for Ireland over the next two months.
Unless his teammates can channel a little of Joyce’s form, ignominy could lie in wait for Ireland’s batsmen.