Better late than never as Ireland get their reward
IN AN era when Irish sports administration and the word ‘scandal’ have all too often appeared in the same sentence, it was good to hear this week of a genuine good news story.
A decade ago cricket was seen as a backwater sport, even a hangover from a colonial past. But a group of experienced immigrants, talented locals and visionary administrators started producing results on the world stage that propelled the sport forward.
The last 10 years have seen Irish cricketers banging on the door demanding more opportunities which, finally, have now been granted.
Sadly, the team which got them there has disintegrated with age, and playing strength is now lower than it was a decade ago.
The first forays into Test cricket will be tough, and Cricket Ireland will need to manage the expectations of a public which previously only paid attention to big wins at World Cups.
What limited resources it has have gone towards the international team, with the result that facilities have been neglected. A training centre at Abbotstown is on the way, but it needs to be more ambitious and there needs to be another one north of the border. The days of head coach John Bracewell (below) are numbered − the lynching party was announced last week − and his successor will need time to bed in. There is enough young talent, particularly seam bowlers, to allow optimism that Ireland will find its feet, but the concern is the next generation will be blooded too soon. The Boys of 2007 drew criticism because four key players qualified by marrying Irish women. But the team Ireland fielded in their last game in May included 10 native-born players and a debutant who came here from India 11 years ago as an 18-year-old. The new coach will want to recruit players of Irish descent from Australia, South Africa and England to ensure the transition to Tests is smooth. There is no need for rugby-style project players, but there are plenty of second and third generation pros in cricket-playing countries who would do a job.