Australia wary of Ireland

Ireland v Australia:QUANTIFYING THE level of improvement Ireland have made since their debut in world tournaments in 2007 can be measured in many ways.

The fact this World Twenty20 will be Ireland’s fifth big tournament in those five years is enough in itself, with the development on the pitch being matched off it in making this a fully professional squad, with nine players having appeared in English county cricket this summer.

Maybe, though, it’s the respect Ireland have gained that best sums up just how far this side has come in international terms.

Hell, it even has today’s opening Group B opponents Australia revealing that playing Ireland is no longer a case of just worrying about whether there is enough ice in the esky to keep the beers cool.

“Not too many guys have been talking about it, but deep inside everyone knows they (Ireland) are a very dangerous team,” said Australia all-rounder Shane Watson following their defeat to England in the final warm-up game.

Australians doubting their stature in a sporting context may be a rare occurrence, but their performances in Twenty20 cricket of late have been sketchy at best, including a brief spell below Ireland in the ICC rankings during their series against Pakistan.

On the other hand, Ireland have put the 3-0 home defeat to Bangladesh behind them with four straight victories since arriving in Sri Lanka, capped off with a victory over the Tigers in their final warm-up game on Monday.

Ireland skipper William Porterfield alluded to the sense of vulnerability emanating from the Aussie camp yesterday and even the bookmakers have taken note, with Paddy Power having knocked two points off Ireland to win today’s Group B encounter, moving them in to 5 to 1 from 7s in the space of a few days.

“We think we’ve got a good as chance as any (against Australia). We’re coming up against a team that is going through a bit of transition themselves but they’re a good team and we’re not taking them lightly at all,” remarked Porterfield yesterday.

“They have a lot of lads who are game-changers, especially in this format of the game, but the way we’ve been playing, we’ve prepared for this tournament and we’re confident in what we can do and we’re just looking after our game, really.”

Although Eoin Morgan will be doing his best to help England defend their title in Sri Lanka, it’s still arguably the best Ireland squad to take part in a world tournament, with a fine mix of experience in the likes of Trent Johnston and Ed Joyce added to the dynamic young talents of Paul Stirling and George Dockrell.

Both will be key, with the hard and fast wickets looking perfectly suited to Stirling’s aggressive style at the top of the order, while left-arm spinner Dockrell, voted the ICC Associate player of the year on Saturday, will have slept soundly last night after watching Sri Lanka twirler Ajantha Mendis taking six wickets for eight runs in the 82-run hammering of a woefully inept Zimbabwe team.

That Ireland still receive only a fraction of the financial support from the International Cricket Council the African side get is something that grates hard with everyone involved with Irish cricket, but the players have a chance to show yet again that they are more than capable of performing on the world stage.

For it to be enough to beat Australia in Colombo today will require them to play to the very best of their abilities, and that little bit of luck so vital in the shortest form of the game. Either way they’ll leave everything on the pitch at the Premadasa in trying to achieve that target.

THE LOWDOWN

Key Man:Forget Eoin Morgan, for many cricket observers Paul Stirling is the finest natural batting talent to play for Ireland. He has the potential to destroy any attack as his 79 off 38 balls against Afghanistan in the qualifier-final in Dubai showed.

The Format:Twelve teams split into four groups of three. Top two teams in each group go through to the Super Eights stage of two groups of four. Top two teams at the end of the round robin in each group will compete in the semi-finals.

The Conditions:The pitches look geared towards the batsmen, with par scores looking to be 150-plus, with extreme heat and humidity making it look like hard work for bowlers.

The Betting:Local knowledge will be key and Paddy Power have India at the top of the board at 9 to 2, followed by the hosts Sri Lanka and South Africa at 5 to 1. Australia and defending champions England are 13 to 2, with Ireland 200 to 1 to turn the cricketing world upside down.