Emerging Irish spin trio look ready to relieve the old guard
Tim Wigmore identifies an encouraging trend as Ireland face up to bringing in new blood to join their veterans
On a sultry night in Bangalore in 2011, Ireland stunned England in the World Cup. Ireland’s top six, that barmy night, was William Porterfield, Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Niall O’Brien, Gary Wilson and Kevin O’Brien.
Six years on, Ireland are again in India. About 2,000km north of Bangalore, they are playing Afghanistan in all three formats of the game.
In T20I cricket, which remains their weakest format despite an encouraging Desert T20 campaign, Ireland’s top order consists of four of those heroes of Bangalore – all but Joyce and Niall O’Brien.
But in the five ODIs that follow, Ireland’s top six will probably be identical to that one in 2011. It is indicative of the fear that Ireland are only getting greater opportunities and funding at a time when their team is ageing and in decline, and they remain too dependent on those from previous campaigns. Only one of that top six, Stirling, is under 30, and even he has not yet quite made good on his abundant promise.
In this context, Ireland’s two ODI victories against the UAE were hugely encouraging. While Ireland would expect to beat the UAE, they twice did so comfortably – far more comfortably, indeed, than in an agonising two-wicket win in the 2015 World Cup. What’s more, Ireland were not at full strength, with Joyce, Boyd Rankin and Tim Murtagh, three of their leading ODI performers, all absent, though all three will return for the ODIs against Afghanistan.
In the absence of the current Irish cricketers with the most pedigree in county cricket, Ireland’s next generation provided a hint of their talents.
The decision to rest Joyce allowed Andy Balbirnie to slot in at No.3. In a sense Balbirnie is emblematic of Ireland’s frustrations about the failure of 20-something players of promise to kick on. At 26, Balbirnie should be one of Ireland’s leading players. In the winter of 2014/15, he revealed a fine temperament and a classical freescoring technique.
Two innings – 129 off 96 balls against a New Zealand A side that included five international bowlers, including three who would play in the 2015 World Cup; and 97 off 79 balls in the World Cup against Zimbabwe – showcased a fine talent. In the World Cup, Balbirnie made 236 runs at 39.33, only ten runs fewer than Joyce.
Yet in the two years since, Balbirnie has achieved little. A series of injuries have not helped, but Balbirnie was dropped by Ireland at the end of 2015, even before he was injured, and then released by Middlesex last summer. Out of county cricket, Balbirnie is now only left with a modest Cricket Ireland contract, and the sense that he is in danger of frittering away great promise.
He performed encouragingly in a stint in grade cricket in Australia this winter, before being sent home from the Desert T20 with another injury. But after a year without playing a full international, Balbirnie’s unbeaten 58 in the second ODI victory over the UAE was hugely encouraging. Whether it is enough to squeeze him back into Ireland’s firstchoice ODI side against Afghanistan remains unclear, but Balbirnie, fit and in form, is a huge asset to Ireland.
Perhaps even more encouraging in Dubai was the returns of Ireland’s spin trio. While Ireland’s bowling strength has traditionally been in seam and pace, any international side needs a coterie of formidable spinners, especially as cricket tilts ever-more around Asia.
In the second ODI against the UAE, Ireland’s spin trio recorded combined figures of 7-111 from 29 overs. They are a trio who could be involved for a decade or more: they have a combined age of just 68, all three can bat usefully, and they all offer different types of spin.
Andy McBrine bowls offspin, while George Dockrell bowls left-arm orthodox spin and Jacob Mulder bowls legspin.
McBrine has already shown himself a cricketer of tenacity, gumption and a fine temperament. He has made outstanding contributions across all disciplines – he made a sumptuous 79 against Sri Lanka in an ODI last June, driving and hooking with elegance and power.
He bowled ten overs for just 26 in the victory against the West Indies in the 2015 World Cup, during a match in which over 600 were scored, beginning with a maiden to Chris Gayle in the Powerplay; and ran out Darren Bravo with a brilliant direct hit in the same game.
Trent Johnston, Ireland’s former captain, has even championed McBrine to lead Ireland in T20 cricket.Yet in recent months, McBrine has seemed a little like a spare part – not quite good enough to bat in the top seven; not quite good enough to be relied upon to bowl ten overs.
Of the spin trio, he turns the ball the least and is the best batsman, so would ideally become a No.7.
It seems a little surprising that Dockrell is only 24. He has been playing for Ireland since the 2010 World T20, when he performed exceptionally. He
In absence of the current Irish players with the most county pedigree, the next generation provided hint of their talents
had considerable early success for Somerset, but then endured problems with his action as he tried to make himself a three-format cricketer, and was released after the 2015 season.
His problems are hardly unusual for a young spinner, and there have been some encouraging signs of Dockrell bowling with more consistency and turn so far this year. Add in his improving batting, and he should still be a crucial player for Ireland in the coming years.
Yet the most exciting discovery of 2017 so far is Mulder. Legspin is a rare and precious art in all international cricket, particularly at Associate level.
Mulder, who hails from Perth but has Irish parents and was spotted playing in the Inter-provincial series in Ireland, was a phenomenal success in the Desert T20, taking eight wickets at 9.37 while yielding under six runs an over. The figures certainly flattered him a little, but the performances still reaffirmed the value of legspinners in white-ball cricket.
A return of 2-28 from ten overs in the second ODI with the UAE reflected well on Mulder’s control. At 21 he could be ten years away from his peak, but he is a cricketer that Ireland must nurture to give themselves a new weapon on pitches on which typical Irish seam bowling will not be sufficient.
Expect all of Ireland’s spin trio to play in the ODIs against Afghanistan, and in unison in some of the games. It will be a severe test, and not just for Ireland’s spinners: for the first time since they burst onto the world stage a decade ago, Ireland are underdogs against another Associate team. This time, relying on the class of 2011 will not be enough.