CRICKET:IRELAND ARE likely to find out today whether their opening Intercontinental Cup fixture against Namibia will be refixed or whether they will be awarded the points for the four-day game that was due to get under way in Belfast tomorrow. The International Cricket Council (ICC) cancelled the game on Saturday due to the fact the African nation were struggling to obtain visas in time.
Ireland are also due to play the tourists in two 50-over matches at the same venue, with the ICC stating that they hope those games will still go ahead as planned.
The loss of the four-day game will come as a blow to coach Phil Simmons, who was hoping to blood some new players in the absence of many of his county-based stars.
It was one of Ireland’s established stars that was making headlines yesterday as Kevin O’Brien showed that his stunning World Cup century against England was not a one-off.
The 27-year-old Dubliner took 50 balls to reach his century in that famous victory in Bangalore, but he beat that yesterday playing for Gloucestershire in a Twenty20 game against Middlesex at Uxbridge as he brought up his three figures off just 44 deliveries, hitting seven fours and nine sixes.
He would eventually depart for 119 (52 balls) after sharing an opening stand of 192 with Hamish Marshall, the former New Zealand international who has declared for Ireland.
It was a record stand for the first wicket in any T20 game and the second highest ever, with Marshall going on to claim his century off 53 balls as they ran up a mammoth total of 254 for three, the second highest in history. It was also the first time that two batsmen from the same team have score a century in the format.
They went on to beat a Middlesex side that contained Ireland’s Paul Stirling by 105 runs.
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