Birrell: Ireland need be given greater coverage

IF THERE is a man who understands Ireland’s plight, it is Proteas’ assistant coach Adrian Birrell.

Birrell was the brains behind the country’s successful run in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.

Ireland toppled Pakistan on St Patrick’s Day and drew with Zimbabwe on their way to the Super 8.

Ireland may not have got past the group stages in the following two tournaments but their 2007 exploits made sure the International Cricket Council canned any World Cup expansion ideas.

While the associate nations may not be the biggest crowd pullers, Birrell knows the importance of growing a game that is currently limited to the British colonial footprint.

“Reducing the World Cup to 10 teams is a big blow because you look at a team like Holland, they’re struggling to keep their players,” he said. “All players need hope and when that hope is extinguished, it leaves despair.

“When we’re saying we’re trying to grow the game, then we retard the same game we think we love.

“It’s very difficult for the likes of Holland, Afghanistan and Ireland to be playing for two spots. If we are serious about growing the game, but also being selfish by keeping it among the big teams, that’s effectively stifling the game in the associate cricket world.”

Ireland own the highest successful World Cup run chase (329/7 versus England in Bangalore in 2011) as well as two other successful 300plus run chases against the Netherlands (2011) and West Indies (2015).

Not even Australia and South Africa boast such an illustrious record and it’s for this reason why Birrell says Ireland need to be given greater coverage.