CRICKET WORLD TWENTY20 QUALIFIER:CONSIDERING IRELAND have been turning heads in the cricket world in the last few years, it was a nice touch when the players decided to turn theirs to good use yesterday as they offered up their locks for the Shave or Dye fund-raiser in aid of the Irish Cancer Society.

The results were mixed, with Kevin O’Brien’s blonde with pink highlights as striking as his batting, while Trent Johnston now sports a blue rinse in keeping with his senior citizen status in Phil Simmons’s squad.

As well as raising money for a good cause it provided a lighter note ahead of a serious week of cricket, as Ireland bid to make it four-in-a-row on the big stage at the World Twenty20 qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates.

Ireland open their Group A campaign against Afghanistan at the 25,000-capacity Dubai International Cricket Stadium this morning, with Simmons stressing the importance of a win over a side who have embarked on an incredible rise in the game in recent years.

“The main thing is we need to win the first game. Once you win the first game, you’re in front and everybody is playing catch-up,” said Simmons. “We’re still the team to beat, but I think Afghanistan will be very dangerous to anybody they play. It’s Twenty20, so we will play everybody as hard as we play the others. I think everybody has a chance in this and we’ve just gotta come out there and do what we have to do to win the games,” he added.

A three-week stay in Sri Lanka, with temperatures in the mid-30s, has Ireland ready for the intense nature of a tournament that could see them play six games in five days if they are to make Saturday night’s final and thus earn one of the two places at the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in May.

And although they lost three of their pre-tournament fixtures, the focus has been on giving all the squad game time. The likely starting XI beat Canada by 11 runs in their final warm-up on Sunday .

“Everything’s coming together and we’ll bring all three aspects of our game together on Tuesday,” declared Simmons after that victory in Sharjah.

The batting has looked strong all tour, with skipper William Porterfield and Niall O’Brien having scored 278 runs between them at the top of the order in the warm-ups.

In the middle order, Gary Wilson looks to have done enough to oust Andrew White from the line-up, with the Surrey player also offering back-up to Niall O’Brien with the gloves as well as being a cracking outfielder in his own right.

Johnston, along with Andre Botha and Alex Cusack, will provide the bulk of the pace-bowling duties, while 17-year-old spinner George Dockrell looks set to bowl some vital spells on wickets that are expected to offer assistance to slower bowlers.

With nine wickets in his first four caps, the Leaving Cert student from Dublin has passed every exam put with flying colours.

The test, though, is about to get harder.