 India hope to begin UK tour on positive note
22nd Jun 2007 22:59 IST
Agencies
On the other hand, the hosts will be looking to rekindle the fond memories of their dream-run in the recent 2007 World Cup.
For the record, Trent Johnston's supremely fit and committed bunch of cricketers set aside the challenge of Canada before stealing the thunder with a sensational tie against Zimbabwe.
More importantly, they went on to knock down Pakistan, who made a shocking first-round exit like India, before upsetting the applecart of another Test playing nation in Bangladesh in their second round clash.
However, while Ireland's World Cup run has been the stuff dreams are made of, their team has undergone a sea change in the sense that no less than six players from the World Cup would be missing from its ranks for various reasons.
While players like Andre Botha, Dave Langford-Smith and Boyd Rankin have been laid low by injuries, all-rounder Peter Gillespie has called it a day since then.
Besides, their two key batsmen in Jeremy Bray and Eoin Morgan have declared themselves unavailable for the match. Morgan, in fact, has opted out only because he is too keen to represent English County Middlesex eyeing a future in the England squad some day.
"The team is unrecognizable from the World Cup but I hope the boys who have been to the West Indies can led from the front and put up a strong performance," said host all-rounder Andrew White.
White, incidentally, was the star performer with the bat, scoring 40 off 46 balls for Ireland in their first-ever ODI at home against England last year.
Ireland might have undergone some changes, but White is pretty confident that his team's World Cup experience will hold them in good stead.
"We are well over the time when Irish players were looking at the badge on the front of the helmet or the name on the shirt.
"We are now bowling at the stumps and looking at the ball. Having faced the best, and beaten them, we don't fear anyone and we know that we can compete if we play well on the day," explained White.
Accordingly, skipper Johnson, the O'Brien brothers Kevin and Niall, batsmen William Porterfield and all-rounder Andrew White, who once shared the Northamptonshire dressing room with Ganguly, would do well to inspire the green horns in the side to give a good account of themselves in what will certainly be a big occasion for Ireland cricket. |
