Morgan's knowledge may prove invaluable

Stormont is a much more fitting arena for Trent Johnson’s 100th appearance for Ireland

EOIN MORGAN’S inside knowledge of his former Ireland team-mates may prove invaluable to England at Stormont tomorrow when the two sides meet in the RSA Challenge One-Day International.

And one of the first things he might have to do is show them exactly where everything is at the Belfast venue, as it will be a new experience to most of them.

A few have played at the ground for their county sides, with newcomer Joe Denly hitting a fine century on the ground for Kent two years ago, while Ryan Sidebottom was part of the Nottinghamshire side that visited back in May.

The startling fact though, and one that won’t be lost on Morgan, is that English captain Paul Collingwood is the only survivor from the game three years ago that marked Ireland’s debut in a One-Day International.

Granted, two other England players from that clash, Andrew Strauss and Marcus Trescothick, would be automatic choices if available, but it still represents an incredible level of player turnover in three years. Players such as Jamie Dalrymple, Glen Chapple and Liam Plunkett were in action that day, while former Ireland batsman Ed Joyce made his England debut alongside Trescothick at the top of the order.

If you include that game, Eoin Morgan becomes the 42nd player since to play one-day international cricket for England when he made his debut against the West Indies earlier this summer.

Players such as Mal Loye, Michael Yardy and Phil Mustard have been and gone, brought in for a series and then dispatched back to their counties never to be seen again.

Now that Morgan has got a start, he must make sure and seize the opportunity with both hands, something he has already found out in his short England career. Picked for the opening World Twenty20 clash, he would be dropped after the Netherlands pulled off a stunning upset at Lord’s that set the tone for a disappointing tournament for England.

The reassuring thing for Morgan and some of the other younger players such as Denly and Adil Rashid is England’s selectors are willing to give them time to bed in at international level.

“We are trying to build up a squad, so that people are comfortable where they play,” remarked national selector Geoff Miller after the announcement of the squads for England’s hectic upcoming schedule of one-day games.

Morgan has been included in all of those, with two Twenty20 matches and seven one-dayers to come against Australia, before the rescheduled Champions League in South Africa next month. Of course, he will be keen to make a statement starting tomorrow if he gets the nod to play against the country of his birth.

For the record, Ireland can pick six players that turned out in the 38-run defeat back in 2006, while Niall O’Brien will be in action after missing out that time due to county commitments.

After last Sunday’s ODI against Scotland was rained off in Aberdeen, it also means former skipper Trent Johnston is set to make his 100th appearance for Ireland in a much more fitting arena.

After playing such a key role in Ireland’s success over the last few years, Johnston will relish taking the field in front of full-house at Stormont for his milestone appearance.

Having retired from international cricket after a tough one-day series in Bangladesh at the beginning of last year, Johnston has come back in and proved he still has plenty to offer at international level.