GREAT PLATFORM FOR IRELAND

Ireland will have it all to do when they participate in the Nagico Super50 2014 Competition, the regional 50-Overs tournament in West Indies Cricket.

It will be Ireland’s first venture into this competition and despite having performed admirably in the Caribbean in both Twenty20 and ODI World Cups they will still be seen as the underdogs.

The rookies will open the competition against Guyana in Trinidad at the famous Queen’s Park Oval on Friday and then play another two group matches against Jamaica and Windward Islands needing to finish in the top two to qualify for the semi-finals the following week.

It is a formidable challenge and although ‘outsiders’ recognize West Indies cricket is not the force it used to be, there is still a strong passion amongst local players for playing for their home country, as it is the stepping-stone to national recognition and in some cases unprecedented wealth.

Even for established West Indies players, it is an opportunity to assert their status and consolidate their positions.

Critics of Ireland’s participation in a regional competition don’t appreciate the unique nature of the West Indies cricket. Cricket is the only medium that joins this motley selection of nations under a single banner and most of the participants in regional competitions are sovereign nations in their own right.

The exceptions are the Windward and the Leeward Islands, which combine the resources of the smaller islands, and CCC, the Combined Campuses and Colleges team. And if anyone questions their right to sit at the top table they should be aware that CCC have won the regional 4-day competition so they have shown a lot of talent under the leadership of former West Indies and Barbados batsman Floyd Reifer.

Ireland will relish the challenge and the opportunity to play against some exceptional players on their home turf. It will certainly provide excellent preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup and more meaningful cricket than training camps or exhibition matches. It will also help evaluate our rising status in world cricket as countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados could be test nations in their own right.

That’s why Ireland’s performances will be under the microscope, and perhaps National Coach Phil Simmons as well. Big Phil will be on home territory and many local fans will watch his stewardship of Ireland with considerable interest, as he’s a prime target to be West Indies Coach at some time in the future. Nobody knows the Trinidad cricket scene better than Simmons and with all the matches centred at Queen’s Park Oval he has as much knowledge of the ground and conditions as any of the Caribbean coaches.

Ireland appears to be in the weaker of the two groups as they have avoided the strong Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados teams. That said, they will be fully tested in their three games and will need to be at their best in their opening game to restrict free-scoring batsmen like Shiv Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Jamaica without Chris Gayle may sound less daunting, but Andre Russell, Carlton Baugh and David Barnard (Jnr) are well known match winners in their own right.

The fiery duo of Tino Best and Fidel Edwards will spearhead the Barbados challenge, but it is difficult to see past the home team playing on their home ground in front of home support. The Trinidad and Tobago team are masters in any form of limited overs cricket and brilliant all-rounder Dwayne Bravo leads a formidable team that includes his brother Darren, Lendl Simmons, Phil’s nephew, Ramdin, Narine and Ravi Rampaul, who ‘guested’ for Ireland not so long ago.

It promises to be another exciting experience for Ireland and although nobody expects them to topple the strong local teams, William Porterfield leads a confident and talented squad that has a lot of faith in their own ability and a strong will to win. This will stand them in good stead over the next few weeks.

Clarence Hiles