'Ireland never gave the West Indies an opportunity to get into the game'
Friday 20 February 2015 09:28, UK
Trent Johnston enjoyed seeing his former Ireland teammates thump the West Indies and has been impressed enough by all the associate nations to believe there will be more shocks on the cards...
It has been a decent start for the four associate members at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand. While results only show one victory from four played, it was satisfying to see that all of the games were competitive.
The perennial giant-killers, Ireland, were first up in an exciting fixture. This time it was the West Indies and what a thumping it turned out to be.
Captain William Porterfield won the toss and elected to bowl, surprising many, but not me. At 90 for five in the 24th over, it was anything but wrong. The selection of Andy McBrine may also have raised a few eyebrows but his performances during the warm-up games certainly warranted his inclusion.
George Dockrell got the wickets as he so often does but it was his less experienced spin partner who shone - McBrine’s 10 overs went for just 26, bowling his first over in the Powerplay (seventh over) to Chris Gayle, which was a maiden. I'm sure it was a nervous moment for him but he took it in his stride. It could have been so much better but for a 154-run sixth wicket partnership and lusty hitting at the end gave them 304 to chase.
Ireland’s strength is in its batting. With 30,000 first-class runs between the top four and 11 ODI hundreds between the openers alone, 304 was well within their capabilities. Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce and Niall O'Brien's strike-rates were all abover 100 and they never gave the West Indies an opportunity to get into the game.
Ireland’s next game becomes massive now as they play the UAE in Brisbane. They should win, provided the celebrating has stopped and focus has been restored.
The next associate to take to the field was Scotland with the unenviable task of taking on co-hosts and one of the tournament’s favourites, New Zealand.
A poor start saw them slip to 12 for four in the fifth over and realistically it was game over for Scotland there and then. However, they very rarely give up and a 97-run partnership between Matt Machan (56 off 79 balls) and Richie Berrington (50 off 80 balls) got the score over 100 and saved any embarrassment.
But then losing three wickets for just 12 runs in three overs and being bowled out in the 37th over was unforgivable. What if Scotland had batted their overs?
With a small total to chase, New Zealand were always going to attack early to assist their net run-rate. That approach ultimately gave the Scots a chance or two. If they had held on to their chances, it could've been a completely different story. But still, plenty of hope for Scotland over their next five games.
The highest-ranked associate team heading into the tournament, Afghanistan, took on Bangladesh, who they had beaten last year in Dhaka at the Asia Cup.
Afghanistan have decent bowlers to utilise the two new cricket balls and were asked to bowl first on the Manuka Oval wicket in Canberra.
Bangladesh were restricted to 119 for four in the 30th over. However, closing the innings was always going to be the issue for Afghanistan. Five of their last 10 overs went for eight runs or more, and this was a factor in their loss.
The target of 267 was very much achievable for Afghanistan. However, it looked as if they were worried about getting out, instead of playing their natural game of hitting boundaries. In the 23rd over with the score at 65 for four and another 200 required, the target seemed unobtainable and that was to be the case.
If Afghanistan are to succeed they need to play a brand of fearless cricket. I predicted they would and I hope that this is what we will see from Afghanistan in their next game against Sri Lanka.
It was no surprise that Amjad Khan, Swapnil Patel and Shaiman Anwar led the UAE batting in Nelson on Thursday and they certainly made Zimbabwe sweat for, at least, 20 overs. If they could have been more positive up front, they could have given their middle-order more momentum towards the back end of the innings.
Given the strength and experience of the Zimbabwe batting line up, 285 was never going to be enough and that proved to be the case. Although they were in some bother when reduced to 167 for five in the 33rd over, Sean Williams (76 not out) and Craig Ervine (42) put on 83 runs for the sixth wicket in just over 14 overs to not only put their side back on track but to also ensure victory was achieved with four wickets and 12 balls to spare.
Credit must go to Amjad Javed and Mohammad Tauqir, who worked hard with the ball and deserved more for their efforts.
All in all it has been a good start to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the associates. There will be a heavy defeat or two but they need to believe in their ability and back themselves and their team-mates. More shocks will follow, I can promise that.
Column from www.icc-cricket.com courtesy of 2015 © ICC Development (International) Limited.
