Porterfield looks to his bowlers

Ireland v West Indies: IRELAND MUST first fight the enemy within in Colombo today as they prepare for the winner-takes-all clash with the West Indies at the World Twenty20 finals.

Seven of the squad fell ill on Saturday with stomach upsets and did not train yesterday, while head coach Phil Simmons and physio Kieran O’Reilly were also absent with the same complaint. A doctor prescribed a course of antibiotics and all the players are expected to be available for selection for the game at the Premadasa Stadium.

Six of the seven – Paul Stirling, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Gary Wilson, Alex Cusack and Boyd Rankin – all started the opening Group B loss to Australia, while young all-rounder Stuart Thompson was also laid low.

Of course, there was some good news for Ireland on Saturday when Shane Watson again inspired Australia in a rain-affected 17-run win over the Windies that saw them qualify in top spot.

Watson made up for dropping Chris Gayle after he made just two by holding a return catch from the big-hitting left-hander after he had gone on to make 54 off 33 balls and went on to star with the bat as his knock of 41 not out off 24 balls helped Australia make it 100 for one when the rain arrived after 9.1 overs, leaving them 16 runs ahead of their revised target.

It was somewhat harsh on the West Indies after they made an impressive 191 for eight off their 20 overs with Marlon Samuels making 50 off 32 balls, while Dwayne Bravo’s 27 was also a fine hand.

With other big hitters such as Kieron Pollard in the side, Ireland skipper William Porterfield is looking to his bowlers to put in a disciplined performance from the first ball.

“They can be very destructive but they’ve got the capability of getting out as well,” admitted Porterfield. “So we’ll be looking to put pressure on them and the first six overs with bat and ball are going to be a crucial part of the game.

“If you can restrict them in those first six overs and obviously pick up a few wickets and get a bit of a start ourselves that’ll be key to the game really.”

Freed from his wicket-keeping duties, Niall O’Brien even offered to take the ball in a bid to get Gayle out today, although on a serious note he knows all about the danger of the West Indies’ opening bat.

“If the skipper needs me to bowl I’ll come on and do a job but hopefully one of the main bowlers could take his scalp early. He’s a fine player, but he’s human and can make a mistake. We just need to make sure to take the chance if it comes.”

And O’Brien believes the opportunity of a place in the Super Eights stage of the competition will see Ireland’s ailing players rise to the occasion.

“It’s not ideal whatsoever, but it’s happened before. From a personal point of view I’ve been sick and you sometimes find an inner resolve and that’s something that Phil will be trying to stress upon the boys who are a bit sick. It’s a Twenty20 so there’ll be a lot of adrenaline so hopefully that will overcome any illness in the camp.”

England in a spin

Captain Stuart Broad insisted England’s batsmen are not vulnerable against spin despite Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla guiding India to a thumping 90-run victory at the Premadasa Stadium.

After India had set Broad’s side a challenging 171 for victory, several of England’s top order seemed all at sea as they were bowled out for 80 – their lowest total in this format.

The match was essentially a dead rubber, with both teams having qualified for the Super Eights stage by virtue of their respective victories against Afghanistan, but alarm bells may be ringing after their defeat yesterday.

Veteran Harbhajan took four for 12 while leg-spinner Chawla finished with two for 13.