It didn’t deserve to end like this. In Phil Simmons 224th and final capped match as coach of Ireland Umar Akmal blocked ball after ball to ensure that there were enough runs left for his batting partner, Sarfraz Ahmed, to reach his century. This in a match that Ireland needed to win to reach the quarter finals yet despite the heroic efforts of William Porterfield the team seemed to have run out of ideas.

It is because of incidents like this that Simmons legacy to Irish cricket is something of a contradiction. On one hand he built on the solid foundations left by Adi Birrell and guided Ireland to a level that saw them competitive at the pinnacle of the sport. Despite being hamstrung by a chronic lack of fixtures against Full Members, Ireland continually frustrated the efforts of those in the ICC who regard the Associates much as Henry II regarded Thomas Becket when he exclaimed “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?”

A decade ago the very idea that Irish cricket would be garnering genuine praise from many of the elite former players in commentary boxes and newspaper articles would have generated more mirth than an RTE produced sitcom. However virtually all of the kingmakers in the ICC are as far removed from elite playing status as Kevin Pietersen is from humility. To them the development of the game is a distant cousin to the generation of truckloads of cash that wend their way into the coffers of the Big 3 while ensuring that the lesser lights get enough loose change to prevent a revolt.

Because he had played the game at the highest level Phil knew what was required to compete and he had the skills to improve the techniques of the players in his charge. It is true that with batsmen such as Ed Joyce, the O’Brien’s, Paul Stirling and William Porterfield he was complimenting the coaching they were receiving at county level. However it was his understanding of international cricket that made the difference.

In many ways both the lead in period to the World Cup and the competition itself is a microcosm of Simmons career with Ireland which for many has left a nagging feeling of an opportunity lost. There are well documented examples of his stubbornness, which at times have unquestionably diluted Ireland’s effectiveness and there is no real excuse for that.

He devised a strategy of stacking the batting that would generate sufficient runs, somewhere around 300, that should win three matches. Thanks in part to the addition of the excellent Andy Balbirnie he succeeded in his objective but unfortunately in Group B four wins were needed largely because West Indies comprehensively disposed of Pakistan.

While Phil made immense strides in helping to bring our batting up to true international status which in this World Cup saw the batters score 2 centuries and nine fifties while also producing the most 50 plus partnerships (13) of any team in the group stages it was a very different story with the bowling. What cost Ireland in the end was net run rate and this was a consequence of Simmons failure to create a bowling attack that could both take wickets and contain. He preferred bowlers who could bat rather than specialists and hence Ireland ended up with seam bowlers who would be third and fourth change in other sides. Ironically the one bowler who consistently delivered for him was Alex Cusack who was instrumental in two of the victories despite most observers writing him off because of his long absence through injury.

The bowling strategy resulted in the Ireland seamers having the worst economy rate (6.78) of all teams in the tournament during the group stages. It also left Kevin O’Brien with the unenviable record of being the only bowler in World Cup history to concede 90 or more runs in an innings twice.

Only Zimbabwe with 57.5 runs per wicket where less effective with the ball than Ireland, who only took a wicket every 52 runs. Compare this to the finalists New Zealand and Australia who both only conceded 19.7 runs for every wicket taken. Our closest Associate rivals, Afghanistan and Scotland, at 38 and 37 runs per wicket left Ireland trailing in their wake.

Is it fair to lay the blame for a plainly inadequate bowling attack at the feet of Simmons? It pains me to say that I believe that it is fair as he had other options. First of all this problem did not just appear in the past few weeks. The absence through injury of Tim Murtagh was a setback but the same Murtagh was part of the attack that was savaged by Netherlands in that infamous World T20 Cup last year. Trent Johnston had made it clear in early 2013 that he would not be going to the World Cup while Boyd Rankin had played his last match for Ireland in September 2012.

The strange thing about Rankin was that Cricket Ireland regularly suggested that they were hopeful that the big Bready fast bowler was likely to come back in time for the World Cup. However no one seems to have actually asked the player what he wanted to do. Similarly the Surrey pair of Matt Dunn and Tom Curran were Ireland qualified but despite constant probing by Irish cricket writers there was never an adequate response to whether they had been sounded out.

Despite all of that it did appear that the matter was being addressed by the decision to send Craig Young, Peter Chase and Graeme McCarter to Australia in the Irish winter of 2013-14 for specialist coaching and acclimatisation. For Craig Young in particular it seemed to have been a very worthwhile exercise as his form in 2014 was excellent as was his bowling in the acclimatisation tour last October as well as in subsequent matches in the UAE.

As I wrote in my preview last month Craig went into the World Cup with the best ODI strike rate of anyone in the tournament who had bowled at least 50 overs. However after more research I have discovered that he has the best average (14.06) of any living ODI player who has bowled at least 50 overs. There was a suggestion that because he had only played against other Associates it diminished his record. Yet compare his record to Josh Davey of Scotland who had a similar strike rate to Young. In the three ODI’s against Ireland in Dublin last September Young took 9 wickets at an average of 15 while Davey took 4 at 27.

Even allowing for Young benefitting from bowling first in friendly early conditions in two of the ODI’s, those of us watching the proceedings would testify that Young was at worst the equal of Davey.

However Young did not bowl a single ball in the last month while Davey took 15 wickets for Scotland at an average of 20.7 and a strike rate of 20. The reason given for the absence from the team of Ireland’s leading pace bowler in 2014 has been that he wasn’t ready. Quite frankly that explanation is just not good enough. Apart from anything else it leaves it hanging in the air that somehow Young didn’t give it his all which is really unfair to the player. Maybe the short coaching stint with Brett Lee screwed up his bowling but I suspect that there is a more simple reason.

The Peter Chase situation is somewhat different in that he certainly didn’t look ready for the World Cup when he bowled for Ireland last summer. However a late season surge of wickets for Durham got him a late call up to the World Cup squad and he was back bowling quickly and taking wickets yet he too only entered the field of play in the past month when he was carrying on water.

It is true that both Young and Chase were not especially economical in the preparation matches in Australasia and UAE in the past few months. However they both regularly took wickets and as Michael Holding is fond of pointing out- give me 5-50 any day over 0-30. Wickets slow down the run rate and as we have seen from the Ireland seam attack not only are they going for copious runs they are not taking wickets either, striking at a rate of one success every 45 balls. Scotland with Davey to the fore took a wicket every 32 balls and had they shown the same skills with the bat that Ireland possess they would not have gone home pointless.

I believe that Phil gambled that the extra runs that Kevin O’Brien, John Mooney, Stuart Thompson and Max Sorensen might provide with the bat would be more valuable than wickets taken by Young and Chase. I also suspect that he played the loyalty card and would not leave out players who had been a key part of his squad for years. Ironically the most effective lower order batting for Ireland in 2014 was the 150 runs that Young and Chase added with Stuart Poynter for the last two wickets against a very potent Sri Lanka A attack in Stormont last July.

It does seem bizarre that a sense of disappointment exists after three wins at a World Cup but that is a positive thing. Ireland and Phil Simmons deserve a big pat on the back for their achievements and the pleasure they have provided for Irish cricket lovers. However this train keeps on rolling and the next stop is just round the bend.

It will be the turn of someone new to take Ireland to the next level and as Ed Joyce said it is probably better for both sides that Phil has moved on. He was the longest serving coach in international cricket and a new voice should freshen things up and also present a new challenge to the established players. At this point the next World Cup is a long way down the road.

The number of teams going and the qualification process will be talked and written about on many occasions in the next few months. Ireland have ODI’s, World T20 Qualifiers and crucially Intercontinental Cup matches before the year is out and the strongest teams must be put out for all those games irrespective of players still being available in four years’ time. I would not be too concerned if Ed Joyce and/ or Niall O’Brien opted out of the T20 format if it meant prolonging their career in the other formats.

The new coach will inherit a batting line up that not only is the envy of the Associate world but is definitely superior to several Full Members. There are also several good prospects that may follow in the footsteps of Andy Balbirnie. He also needs to correct the anomaly of our best wicketkeeper languishing in the outfield.
Most of all however he needs to risk losing matches in the short term by giving the likes of Young, Chase, McCarter and others their chance.

There are also a number of promising young spinners at club level, several of whom are unorthodox and it is vital that the Shapoorji Pallonji academy produces new talent sooner rather than later. Just as Phil enhanced the work of Adi the next man must do the same again and his talents must be commensurate with a national cricket team that is on the cusp of being the tenth best in the world.

I wish Phil all the best in coaching his native West Indies and thank him for the immense work he has done for Ireland cricket and on a personal level I always found him personable and good company.

Finally the same sentiments are due to Roy Torrens who has finally stepped down as manager. However in his case I look forward to seeing him ambling around the boundary line throughout the season and musing about how things were different in his day. There may even be the occasional glass of the Famous Grouse consumed