O’Brien: Ireland are ready for Test arena

There is no doubting it was a historic few days for Irish cricket; getting to play against England in a one-day series that had some meaning, and getting to play at Lord’s in front of a big crowd was very special. But we were there to win two games of cricket and while it was an improved performance on Sunday, we didn’t achieve what we set out to do and that is disappointing.

On Friday, I can’t really put my finger on what happened. There is always the danger of a collapse when you are playing against top-class bowlers but to go from 80-2 to 126 all out just 45 minutes later was a real blow.

We came into the game in a good place. There were nerves, of course, but that really wasn’t a factor and it was tough to take because we know we are so much better than that.

On Sunday, there was more of a fight. But make no mistake, England are a very good side; their class really came through over the two days with two different styles of victory – chasing down a small target with confidence and then setting a big total, even though I felt we bowled and fielded well. There is a lot of quality all over their set-up.

At Lord’s, we felt like we were really in the game and if we could keep then under 300 – which it looked like we would do at one stage – we would have had the confidence to chase it down because you can then put the pressure back on the fielding side. But the brilliant Jonny Bairstow just took the game away from us.

That shows the strength in depth England have; to have a guy like Jonny coming in late on and hitting the ball so cleanly. He is a fantastic cricketer who scores runs everywhere, whatever the format, whether it’s T20, 50-overs or Test cricket.

He had just come off the back of a big hundred for Yorkshire and it showed. If you watch Jonny when he has his eye in, it’s all about hitting the ball hard.Yes, he can play the shots but his timing and power is superb, while someone like Joe Root relies more on pure timing.

Earlier in the innings, Eoin Morgan had also played nicely and he looked very focused. Back when Eoin was playing for Ireland, you could always see the class he had. It was there as far back as 2005 when he smashed a big hundred against Kenya.

I have personally seen Eoin grow into a fine cricketer and he is doing a seriously good job as England skipper. His determination is clear to see, but he always had that.

Back to the occasion of playing a top-class side like England, well I think it was an important piece of the jigsaw for the bigger picture of Irish cricket. We are all desperate to play Test cricket with the decision looming in June. I speak from first-hand experience here; cricket has come so far since the days when I was playing as a kid. Even though I grew up in the village of Sandymount in southern Dublin – which had four cricket clubs and the game was pretty popular – the school I attended was all about Gaelic football and cricket really wasn’t the first choice for kids to play.

But you drive through the towns and villages now in Ireland and the kids are all playing cricket. The country has really embraced the sport.

There is also an unbelievable conveyor belt of talent coming through the system. Ireland is ready for Test cricket and Test cricket is ready for Ireland!

“I have personally seen Eoin [Morgan] grow into a fine cricketer and he is doing a seriously good job as England skipper ”