CRICKET INTERCONTINENTAL CUP:AFTER THE adrenaline-fused buzz of their recent World Twenty20 campaign wears off, Ireland must recalibrate their cricketing skills to the longer form of the game over the coming days as they take on Kenya at Eglinton (11.0am) in their opening match of the Intercontinental Cup.
Phil Simmons’s side will be aiming for a fourth straight title, with their liking for the four-day competition summed up by the fact that they have only lost one game in the five years it has been played.
Record cap-holder Kyle McCallan leads Ireland in the absence of William Porterfield and the Waringstown player believes his side will be itching to get back in to action.
“The four-day format of the game is one which I personally, and all the team enjoy. You can experiment with different field settings, and the bowlers get a chance to operate in long spells.
“We have a great record in this format of the game, and haven’t been beaten since 2004. We’ve won the last three cups, and we are still hungry for more titles, we want to continue our magnificent run,” said McCallan, who will also be without Boyd Rankin due to county commitments, while Niall O’Brien is sidelined by an ankle injury.
In Rankin’s absence, Simmons is set to hand an international debut to former Under-19 opening bowler Andrew Britton after his impressive performance for the ‘A’ side against a Yorkshire XI last week.
Simmons is confident his side will be well primed with almost four months of cricket under their belts.
“We’ve had a good 2009 so far, winning the World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, and beating Bangladesh in the ICC World Twenty20. I want to keep that winning momentum, and I think we can do that with the current squad,” said Simmons, who also believes the conditions will suit his players.
“Kenya may find it difficult to adjust to Irish conditions, although it has been warm here this past few weeks.
“They may be a bit rusty as they haven’t played a lot of cricket since the World Cup Qualifiers in April. That will be a big advantage for us, but it certainly won’t be easy.”
IRELAND(from): K McCallan (Waringstown, capt), A Botha (North County), J Bray (The Hills), A Britton (Fox Lodge), P Connell (North Down), A Cusack (Clontarf), T Johnston (Railway Union), K O'Brien (Railway Union/Nottinghamshire), A Poynter (Clontarf), P Stirling (Carrickfergus), R West (Civil Service North), A White (Instonians), G Wilson (Surrey, wkts).
KENYA(from) M Ouma (capt), J Kamande, K Obuya, A Obanda, S Tikolo, C Obuya, T Odoyo, N Odhiambo, L Onyango, P Ongondo, H Varaiya, R Patel, E Otieno, S Waters, D Obuya.
