After watching them in 2007 and now in 2011, there seems a joie de vivre in the way that Ireland go about the things. It is this joy that makes them a crowd favourite wherever they play. When a quarter-filled Eden Gardens is shouting hoarse for Ireland, you can be sure that Ireland has come a long way. Exactly what is it that makes people root for them
Its not just being the underdog but also the visible effort that they put in competing with others. They have punched much above their height here and ICC would do well to ensure the development of Irish cricketers. In the run-up to this match, it was expected that they would give a tough fight to South Africa
When Docrell took a catch sliding to his left at third-man to dismiss Amla, it was clear that Ireland would not go down by putting a lion hearted effort. When Smith was run-out to a brilliant piece of fielding by Mooney, South Africa seemed to be trouble. It took the hard-hitting batting of Van Wyk to stop Ireland from bull dozing their way through
It is here that Ireland need a little bit of help. With the partnership of Duminy and Ingram blooming, Ireland seemed to have run out of ideas because Ingram waded into the attack with seven boundary hits. After his departure, Duminy took over in the Powerplay and put the total slightly beyond Ireland’s reach. He became the second batsman after Adam Gilchrist to be dismissed on 99 in a World Cup match
When their turn to bat came, Steyn and Morkel made them look unsettled. It was the spinners who reaped the benefits of the seamers efforts
Comments
Post a Comment