Rare chance for the Irish to gain some glory - Part 2 - Opinion
Continued from Part 1...
Firstly, the Irish have a set of players who could exploit the loopholes of this hapless Australian bowling attack. The likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brett-Lee-c48419, Andrew
Symonds and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SW-Tait-c2616. Players such as Kevin O' Brien for example, are known for their annihilation of any attack on a given day, and in previous times they have ensured that the odds are stacked against Ireland’s oppositions for nailing the side into submission.
Ireland can also draw a lot of heart from Australia’s recent performances in the T20 and ODI formats, which have been shambolic to say the least. The fact that the Kangaroos were pushed by rookies http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Afghanistan-c745 at Sharjah recently, shows how fallible Australia
can be in light of their limited bowling, batting and fielding resources. If it wasn’t for the utter brilliance of a few players in that game, a famous upset did loom high in the desert heat. In light of that game, it seems as if the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Neil-Killeen-c79132 instinct that Australia
was known for had vanished completely. Similarly, Australia lacked the killer punch that enabled them to beat http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 in the T20 format as well, where they capitulated to 89 in the first game of the three match T20 series. If the Irish were closely following
how Australia paved out in both of these encounters, then what was noticeable was how Australia cracked under pressure and became panic stricken once a few wickets went down, or when runs were leaked at a hemorrhaging rate. These facts are damning realities
for an Australian side, and would delight the Irish, as a side which has historically been known to put the foot on the pedal, is now hapless to say the least.
The encounter between the dilapidated Australians and the Irish would take place on the dustbowl at the Premadasa in this year’s World Cup. Australia has been known to crack against high quality spin, and the pitch in Colombo is tailor made for those who
aspire to extract significant turn. The problem for the Irish however, is that their bowling attack lacks the wizardry of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GP-Swann-c1501, who are bowlers that have troubled the Australians in recent times. They instead, have to settle
with players such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/George-Dockrell-c59135, who could be targeted easily for their fallibility. It may not thus, be all smooth sailing for the Irish despite them being fancied this time around.
Despite the massive disparity between both sides on paper, the truth is that Ireland would feel more at home against the Australians than they have had in previous encounters. Historically, an http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ireland-c751 against Australia game was characterized by the Aussies
pounding the minnows into submission, yet it is safe to say that such possibilities would be distinct this time around. Part of this can be explained in light of the T20 format, which tends to be highly unpredictable and gives lesser fancied sides a chance
of coming up with something special.
Australia however, should not be taken lightly by the Irish, in light of their indisputable conventional strength. Many of their players have relevant experience of playing in domestic competitions such as the KFC Big Bash, and could easily ignite stadiums
all around the Emerald Isle this time around. That said, the Irish could well and truly be pushed into submission if http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 brush away their past failings, and instill a sense of purpose by playing some quality players in their lineup. Yet at the same time,
if one is to assess their recent record of being able to win games out of nowhere, it is fair to say that this could well and truly be the best chance for the Irish to come up with something truly special. For them it is a case of making the clover talk, instead
of banking on Saint Patrick’s Day to have luck come their way.
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