Rare chance for the Irish to gain some glory - Part 1 - Opinion
Ireland is a team which consists of a bunch of talented amateurs, who have made significant strides into international cricket. Their reputation as ‘giant killers’ and ability to topple some of the most formidable oppositions in the world, have made them
one of the strongest associate member sides in the circuit today, despite lingering at the bottom of the rankings. The 2007 World Cup upset over Pakistan was a grand example of what Ireland could notch up on a green top at Sabina Park. To prove to the world
that that performance against Pakistan was no fluke, they managed to push http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c749 over the bar in 2011 after a scintillating display of power hitting by Kevin O' Brien. These performances are just a taste of what this team can pull off on its day.
Much to the dismay of passionate Irish supporters, in recent times http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 at home
for example, has gone hand in hand with a series of failings against lesser formidable associate member nations. The ability to stage a major upset however, looms high this time around, as the Irish would be facing off against the ragged Australians in a Group
Fixture at the Premadasa Stadium at Colombo on September 19.
On paper, it seems as if this encounter could just be another formality for the Aussies in the tournament, yet the realities on ground tend to starkly differ. Australia has plummeted to ground zero in T20 cricket, and is well and truly beatable in this exciting,
pocket sized format. They are ranked even below the Irish and their loss to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 in the second T20 of the Cool and Cool Cup has stoked feelings of apprehension in the Australian camp. There has also been a considerable amount of vindictiveness between
both Australia and Ireland in the lead up to this encounter at the Premadasa.
One can’t help but wonder as to why such hype has been created in an encounter of such limited proportion. This Group fixture is just one of the few battles which would take place in the ICC World T20 of 2012 in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758. Yet the fact that the Australians
had been routed by a resurgent Pakistan in the ongoing Cool and Cool Cup series of 2012 in the Arabian desert, has stoked feelings of hostility between both sides. The fact that Australia has been ranked below Ireland has been followed up by the Irish camp,
touting their chances of beating the Australians comprehensively in the World Cup. This assertion has not gone down too well with Australia, as pleasantries were exchanged from their camp as well. Despite all the hostile atmospherics, there is no denying the
fact that the wounded wallabies do not have much to wallow about, as compared to the Irish who would be more fancied this time around.
In modern times, Australian cricket is perhaps in its worse state, since being considered as the undisputed champions in all forms of cricket since their 1999 World Cup Triumph. They had managed to get to the semi final of the inaugural http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World T20 of
2007 in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 and were finalists in the 2010 edition in the Caribbean. Those were times when their rankings in ODI, Test and T20 cricket were at the very top, yet nowadays, there is a clear indication of a dramatic decline that this former superpower
has been witnessing. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 are currently ranked 10th in the ICC T20 rankings, which is possibly their worst position in over a decade. Problems ranging from their bench strength to poor performances on the pitch, have given the Irish many reasons
to believe that they could create a major upset over Australia.
Continued in Part 2...
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