AS THE ARCTIC wind penetrated the January air, and Malahide Castle and Gardens was littered with woollen-dressed walkers, the idea of Test match cricket and a bright new dawn could not have felt any further away.
Cricket grounds can be forlorn places in the depths of winter, and even the venue which will play host to Irish sporting history in three short months is not exempt, with Malahide barely recognisable under an early-morning mist.
As winter turns to spring, work will begin on transforming the idyllic village ground into a purpose-built international stadium which will provide the setting for a momentous occasion as Ireland make their first foray into the Test arena against Pakistan.
For so many involved in the sport on this island, and indeed those who previously laid the foundations, it will be the most fulfilling, yet surreal, of days just a decade on from the indelible victory over Pakistan which initiated this remarkable journey to the top table.
No one has played as significant a role as Ed Joyce, and two decades on from his Ireland debut, against Scotland at a club ground in 1997, he — like so many others — is on the verge of realising a childhood dream.
It’s no secret that the curtain would have long fallen on Joyce’s pioneering career had Test match cricket not been around the corner, but that’s not to say the 39-year-old is clinging on to bow out on the grandest of stages.
You’ll find few who argue against the assertion that Joyce remains the key cog in Ireland’s batting wheel and certainly his sixth ODI century earlier this month against United Arab Emirates is evidence of his enduring worth.
But a long career, spanning over two decades and including four years in England colours, has taken its toll over the last number of years, with debilitating knee and hip problems forcing him to end his time in county cricket to scale back his workload.
His right knee required surgery at the end of 2016 and even last summer — at which stage he had returned to live in Dublin having taken a considerable pay-cut to sign a central contract with Cricket Ireland — there was still a great deal of uncertainty over whether he’d be fit enough to play on into 2018.
“The knee isn’t great, lots of other things are hurting, and my body is telling me to stop,” the Bray native said last June, and there were further concerns when he missed the pre-Christmas series against Afghanistan in India.
But that May Day has focused Joyce’s mind, and the prospect of taking to the field on a historic occasion, has made the painful rehabilitation work a little more bearable.
Ireland’s long-serving figurehead is soldiering on.
“Playing in that Test is the only thing keeping me going,” he says.
And now it’s within sight. Pakistan. Malahide. Test cricket. The holy grail.
On the back of his match-winning century in Dubai a fortnight ago, Joyce is feeling as fit and fresh as he has in quite some time and there is a real sense of enthusiasm and excitement when he looks ahead to a busy schedule.
“The knee wasn’t great a few months ago but I started doing pilates and has actually really helped,” he explains.
“I felt it getting worse and worse last year again and trying to strengthen up the muscles around the knee was proving difficult. Pilates has really helped and I went away on this tour to UAE and it went really well, felt really good and felt somewhere back to 2015 when it was still a bit sore but could get through it and perform.
“I’m feeling a lot more comfortable in my body, and because of that I’m looking forward to the cricket a bit more. I’ve gone on record by saying if the Test match wasn’t there I might have stopped already and that’s still true, but I’m feeling a lot happier about playing cricket this year. A lot of stuff to look forward to too.”
Encouragingly, Joyce was yesterday named in Graham Ford’s squad for the World Cup qualifying tournament to take place in Zimbabwe in March and he will again be crucial to Ireland’s hopes of booking their place at a fourth successive World Cup.
The task has been heightened significantly with the ICC’s decision to reduce its showpiece event in England in 2019 to a 10-team tournament, with Ireland set to vie with West Indies, Afghanistan, Netherlands and hosts Zimbabwe among others for the two remaining qualification berths.
Ireland will finalise preparations with a training camp in South Africa, where four warm-up games have been scheduled, before facing the possibility of nine make-or-break games in the space of three weeks.
The congested and intense nature of a tour will be a firm test of Joyce’s fitness and how he and the coaching staff manage his workload — both on the field and in training — will be a crucial factor in getting the best out of him with the bat.
“I’m going to Zimbabwe to play every game but if there’s a situation where it’s sore for one game and we feel I should miss that one and manage it day-to-day then so be it,” he continues.
“But I’d be hopeful of getting through every game out there and being able to perform.
“It is about managing it but I’m feeling a lot more positive. I feel good and because the knee is feeling good I’ve actually been able to practice properly. That was probably the biggest thing for me when the knee wasn’t good, I wasn’t able to practice properly and therefore you can’t be in as good as form as you’d like to be in.
“I’ve been able to bat for a long time in the nets and actually work on things and get a lot of volume in which I haven’t been able to do previously. I feel like I’ve hit enough balls and prepared well and mentally I’m in a good place going into games.”
It also helps when the team appear to have turned a corner following a difficult 18 months under John Bracewell, with Ireland winning their last six ODIs before and after Christmas.
New head coach Ford is still settling into the role but certainly the early signs leave huge grounds for optimism heading into the World Cup qualifiers, with the bowling attack producing far more accurate and consistent displays and the likes of Joyce providing solid platforms with the bat.
“I feel very positive about the next few months,” Joyce adds. “I’m looking forward more to the Zimbabwe trip as it’s such a big tournament because the last couple of years in ODI cricket we haven’t played well but then it looks like the team has turned the corner.
“Rob Cassell [bowling coach] has done wonders with the bowling unit, we have a lot more variation. We seem to have moved on in terms of accuracy and hopefully we can bring that into the qualifiers. I feel like the team is in a better place and because of that I think everyone is a bit more positive about it.”
While the World Cup qualifiers are the primary focus, 11 May is a date ingrained in everyone’s mind, even yesterday when Cricket Ireland unveiled its first Test kit.
But for Joyce, he can’t afford to look even that far down the line as he manages his knee on a day-to-day basis while at the same time appreciates knows the significance of the forthcoming tournament, even if he’s unlikely to be around in 2019 for the World Cup should Ireland make it that far.
“I’m looking to play the Test match and make a decision after that,” he says of his future.
“We’ve got the next three or four months, and I’m going to really put everything I have into those few months and hopefully, the team does well as well and then see where we stand after the Test match.”
It’ll be a special moment.
“Looking back, I played my first game for Ireland back in 1997 and I never thought we’d be anywhere close to playing Test match cricket in my lifetime, let alone still being able to play,” Joyce adds.
“It’ll be a very proud moment for me personally but it’ll just be a momentous day for Irish cricket considering where the sport was and where we’ve got to in the last decade. It’s an incredible achievement.”
105 days and counting.
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Campbell was the better fighter on the night. John joe did us proud.
That’s sport. But the lad done very good. He did the Irish proud
You’re one of the two very best boxers in the world today, John Joe, that’s not failure, that’s success. Your Olympic medal is proof, as if any were needed.
He gad a great achievement . The article is very pessimistic heading.
I think he is good
@aiden I think you’ll find it’s a pun on the fact he won a silver medal – silver lining. Not pessimistic. It’s an achievement to get there in the first place and a better one to come out with a medal for his efforts.
Unlucky John joe, you’ve let nobody down. We’re still proud of you.
On another note, I wonder where all the Irish fans were tonight :-/
The Irish fans were there, but didnt have home support, naturally enough! Good man john joe
I heard fans cheering tonite as John joe was on
Amazing fight and no complaints. He’s still an absolute hero!
Great achievement .. Still very young at 23 and is capable of going all the way in 4 years time!
Failure? No. Legend? Absolutely!
Fair play Join Joe.
Don’t despair, your a legend to even get there. TBH I don’t follow or know anything about boxing, but well done, be proud of your fantastic achievements!
Unlucky not getting gold but well done getting silver.
Great fight, did well against a south paw with a huge reach, silver medal fantastic achievement , nice one John Joe
Well done by the boxers put track and field to shame
heroic young fella. brilliant
That was horrible to watch. Tactics were all wrong again. You cant let Cambell lead the way in a home fight.
Well done Luke Campbell!!
You’ve joined a very elite club John joe, the Irish Olympic Medal Club. Proud as punch ( pardon the pun) of all of our Olympians. It gave us all a sense of pride our nation has been lacking for quite some time. Well done!
Well done John Joe!
Because all the sport played in New Zealand is also played internationallly. Our national games, GAA, are purely domestic.
Ben Gunn, 2,718 GAA clubs worldwide. Hardly just a domestic sport!
By the way, the second round was 5-4.
Cheers Peter
Proud!
John Joe has been a fantastic competitor for Ireland, a silver medal is a fantastic achievement, but he has won gold in my mind for his sportsmanship and representing our country. A true fighter!
From the above photo the english chap looks quite excited indeed…..on the other hand well done john joe,we got bronze,silver and gold at the games well done Ireland…
Why does a country like New Zealand win 5 times more medals than Ireland? We have roughly the same population, yet they always produce far superior athletes! Just curious like!
I think there are a few reasons the Kiwis did better. They seem to put a higher onus on sport and it is more engrained in their lifestyle. I think they put more money into the games and development. Their team was more than 3 times the size of the Irish team as a consequence. Add to that the fact they are of similar genetic stock, but when the people travelled conditions were tough and the “weaker” people died, leaving a stronger gene pool. And, probably most controversially, it is a very isolated country (unlike Ireland) and sport is a way to get out of the country, travel and see the world, so motivation is added. There are likely many more reasons, but those are what I can think of offhand.
Simple answer to that Rodrigo. GAA. It swallows up a lot of talent.
Gaa does take a lot but that ain’t a bad thing, look at the great stuff they do at a local level for so many thousands who would never get to an Olympics….we should be very proud of our gaa players big and small. It’s great to have great Olympians, and long may it continue, but the GAA and all local sports contribute immensely to the local communities….well done Ireland and its awe inspiring olympic athletes
Rugby is not an olympic sport… and New Zealand still over achieve. Gaa is not the reason. Plenty of room to play GAA/Soccer/Rugby and also compete in athletics or some other olympic sport.
@Ognetty NZ “are of similar genetic stock, but when the people travelled conditions were tough and the “weaker” people died, leaving a stronger gene pool”
we also had our own little survival of the fittest contest called “the famine”
i dont think that GAA swallows up talent rather than, and this is coming from a GAA family, everything else is frowned upon as being a pansy sport. if i had of told my da that i wanted to throw a javelin he would have thought i was a troublemaker. add to that that me or anyone else ive ever known have never jumped into a pit of sand or thrown a disc in any school ive attended. athletics were great… up until they stop them past age 12. time to stop shoving football, rugby and hockey down our throat as the only choice.
Keith Banks, a lot if the emigration to NZ occurred during the great famine and certainly after the 1700s famine. So that group had a double “contest” surviving famine and travel by sea for months, fighting tropical illnesses in a foreign land, etc.
GAA takes a lot from the other sports potential in this country not only in terms of funds but also interest from youngsters …
It was far better than watching Kenny Egan’s jackets. Well done to John Joe and the entire Irish boxing squad for again hauling in the medals for another Olympics.
Well done JJ
Very proud of your excellent achievement
Very gracious in defeat too
A real sportsman
Well done lad..
it wad a good fight on both sides .
Sorry people but Nevin won the first round and should have been protecting a lead.
No he didn’t he lost it 5-3
Actually he was 3 Pts down in the first round…. Nevin your a legend for me
@the two people who replied to him.
Are you serious?
He meant that Jon Joe was better in the first round and should have been given the points.
Well done, John Joe. I’ve yet to talk to anyone who’s anything less than bursting with pride for you. You fought a great fight and Olympic Silver is a fantastic achievement!
Failure – not by a long shot.
Legend – to bloody right.
Did he do us proud? – You bet yer ass he did.
Hero – No.
The hero no is not a knockdown of the fella. Personally I see heroes as people who do or even attempt to do something to save someones life eg. firemen , cops, ambulance crew etc.
Excellent work john Joe. You done brilliant .
I think John joe was wonderful
He went out and did his best
Himself and team Ireland have done us proud
Well done to them all
John Joe ain’t no failure! A silver for Ireland is nothing to be sniffed at! Well done lad!
The reason we don’t win as many medals as we should is without doubt because of the gaa.. Kids are forced to play it by insular bigotted parents and as a result they end up bigotted and insular themselves. It’s an irrelevant sport that is played predominantly by talentless Neanderthals. However some of the players do have talent and the country and they themselves would benefit so much more if they paticipated in proper sports which are played internationally. Gaa sports are backward and that is the reason they’ve never taken off abroad. Poor mens’ football (that’s soccer for all u ignorant gaa heads) and poor mans’ hockey. I strongly believe the 3 things which have ruined this country are the holy trinity of the catholic church, fianna fail and the gaa..
Ps. Well done John Joe you pit in a fine shift so fair play to you and the rest of the Ireland Olympic team even those who Came home empty handed.. U all did us proud!
What an ignorant and so out of touch comment by someone who clearly has no knowledge whatsoever of the work of the GAA , or probably none either of any of the volunteer amateur Sporting Bodies who give so handsomely to the youth of our little Country.
In an hours time I watch my Grandson playing in an u10 football game with his Club Austin Stacks. He also trains in a Taekwondo Club – which is also of huge interest to him.
All of these sporting activities keep kids involved and out of trouble on the streets of our Community and also instills pride in Club and Community.
Would you ever get a life my friend – sport does not have to be to Olympic standard to have a huge value in our little Country!
Joey, there are 2,718 GAA clubs worldwide. Our national sports are played by thousands all over the planet. Hardly a sport for bigots. If you dont like certain parts of whats left of Irish national culture and identity, you can always move to somewhere more suitable to YOUR bigotry.
John Joe ain’t a failure! A silver for Ireland is nothing to be sniffed at! Well done lad! We’re so proud of you!!
It was a great fight. The best man won on the night, but Nevin was not at his best.
Well done eddie and fair play to your grandson for playing both sports.. However I d take offence to you labelling me ignorant. I have an in depth knowledge ‘my friend’ of many sports and have played competively in many codes. The one sport however, that a found there was always a negative bigot involved in was Gaelic football. Even today I know of kids who are not allowed participate in other sports because their father’s feel it would be a betrayal or even unpatriotic to allow them play a game which may not have it’s roots in a Tipperary hotel. Your grandson maybe a mighty talented lad eddie and you may be very proud of him but unfortunately that talent is being wasted down at Austin stacks. So for the kid’s sake I urge yo to take him away from that sport and give him a chance at a sport that actually means something in the world of sport and don’t allow him to become another wasted talent in a bigoted talentless sport that has helped ruin this country and Eamon de Valera has a lot to answer to the young people of this country for..
Imagine all the extra international glory this country would’ve achieved if it weren’t for the backward gaa..
So really Eddie I believe it’s u that needs the life and I hope for your grandsons sake the bigballers don’t try to turn him off tae Kwon do but I bet they do… Poor kid!!
Didn’t Read LOL
Maybe if he had kept his head in the game instead of getting involved in his families dispute with the publican that had to call the Gardai to them, he might
Have a Gold Medal now.