Cronje set for debut

HANSIE CRONJE will be expected to work wonders in Ireland's four match Benson & Hedges campaign, which begins against Middlesex at Castle Avenue this morning.

In fact, were Cronje to spearhead a first ever Ireland competitive victory over a major English county, the Irish Cricket Union might well be moved to organise a public Te Deum in his honour. All the more so, given the deeply felt disappointment which resulted from that recent near miss in Malaysia.

Cronje is a superb performer, whose brief presence in this country will, we hope, help to focus more attention on Irish cricket, and also bring more youngsters to the game.

But if one swallow does not a summer make, equally one world superstar does not constitute a team, and national coach Mike Hendrick will want sterling performances from his home grown cricketers if the Middlesex men are to be unhorsed.

And Middlesex will also field a few handy exponents of the arts of batting and bowling, not to mention fielding and wicket keeping. Among them is Mike Gatting, in his last year in county cricket, Mark Ramprakash, Angus Fraser and Phil Tufnell.

Still, Ireland's Malaysian experience simply must be a help, despite the ultimately cruel dashing of sky high hopes. Ireland's players already have had a month of hard, competitive cricket behind them, not to mention the earlier weekends of training organised by Hendrick, throughout the past winter.

All of which makes for a more interesting tilt than usual, against professional opposition, with the added bonus of a potential ace, in the persona of Cronje. Play begins at 11.00.