IN THE FOOTHILLS of the snow-covered Himalayas, Ireland will hope to scale the heights of previous major tournaments as they begin their World Twenty20 cricket campaign today.
The tournament, which got underway yesterday, is Ireland’s eight consecutive appearance at a global event, a feat which is unrivaled among the Associate nations.
John Bracewell’s side face their first assignment against a relatively unknown Oman squad in the Indian city of Dharamshala on Wednesday (2pm Irish time).
It is one of three initial group games they must win in order to qualify for the Super 10s, where the game’s big boys lie waiting. There is no margin for error.
That Ireland have to negotiate an additional hurdle to mix it with the best is an injustice to the team’s erstwhile contributions to these events.
William Porterfield and his team-mates have conjured imposing performances at three successive 50-over World Cups and have consistently produced on the biggest stage.
But they’re not unused to having the odds stacked against them. The International Cricket Council’s decision to ‘expand’ this tournament two years ago to accommodate 16 teams means Ireland must enter at the preliminary round.
It’s the hand they’ve been dealt and the harsh reality of the meritocracy which exists in the sport’s governing body. The ICC’s party line that this new format is evidence of its commitment to growing the game is a source of great frustration.
The logic behind it is so that the ICC ensure the top ten teams in the world are competing at the business end, in order to maximise television rights and advertising revenue.
Ireland, just like they’ve done at each of their last eight appearances at ICC’s events, plan to upset cricket’s traditional order and reinforce their status as party-poopers.
Yet the truth of it is that the Boys in Green bring more to tournaments than any other nation.
Their energetic and passionate brand of cricket has sparked World Cups into life, most notably 12 months ago when thousands of Irish fans produced partisan atmospheres in otherwise half-filled stadiums in Australia/New Zealand.
There’s something about major tournaments and Ireland – but the expectations heighten each time and the requisite to exhibit their credentials to the ICC’s hierarchy is now far greater.
Given their successes over the last decade, Ireland have already proved they deserve a place at the top table yet every time they take to the field there is always a point to prove and always an added significance.
While Ireland should have too much firepower and nous for an inexperienced Oman outfit, stiffer challenges in the form of Bangladesh and Netherlands lie ahead.
Bracewell and the players won’t be daunted, they’ve seen it and done it all before, but the next three games will be a rigorous appraisal of their pedigree in a format they’ve yet to fully master.
Ireland have reached the next phase of this biennial tournament just once in five attempts and an underwhelming qualifying campaign on home soil last summer left much to be desired.
But six months of preparations offers hope that Bracewell and his charges have discovered a formula for Twenty20 cricket.
“I think we’re at the cutting edge because technically and tactically we’re doing the same as every other team in the world,” the head coach told The42. “It’s just a matter of whether our players have the confidence to be good enough and to express that talent.
“Our batting has been below par to what it could and should be given the potential power in the unit.
“It’s not only about unlocking it, but unlocking the confidence and freedom. We’re good enough, we have the players and have the experience but it’s just about it all coming together when it matters.
“Our guys tend to take on too much responsibility for someone else’s batting. There tends to be a lack of trust rather than bat for someone else and we haven’t really got that confidence to do it.
“The preparation has been hard word. In all honesty, it’s been a struggle but we’ve done what needed to be done and we now have a solid game plan and trust that and have an understanding of it.”
The squad have been on the road almost non-stop for the winter having toured Australia, United Arab Emirates and now India.
Much of the focus has been on the shortest format and ironing out the deficiencies which saw Ireland slump to seven defeats in the last year.
And there was contrasting fortunes in the two official warm-up games with a resounding 10-wicket win over Hong Kong followed by a less than encouraging reversal to Zimbabwe.
Yet Ireland have notoriously been slow starters. Before last year’s World Cup, the team, then coached by Phil Simmons, endured a miserable lead-in period but stunned West Indies in the opening game.
The opposition isn’t quite of the same calibre today but Ireland can’t afford to take Oman lightly in a game which will be played under the lights at the idyllic HPCA Stadium.
The tone needs to be set for the fixtures against Bangladesh (Friday) and Netherlands (Sunday) to follow if they are to have any chance of progression.
“We need to take it by the scruff of the neck,” Bracewell continued. “Just take your chances and you’ve got a chance. If you look at it from the dim side you’ve got no chance.
“We’ll give it our best shot and if we can get through our main aim will be to upset someone else.
“The return of Boyd [Rankin] to our bowling attack really gives it bite and we’ve made big improvements with our bowling. We’re developing an international quality fast-bowling attack and now it’s our batters who need to stand up.”
Ireland’s problems have largely stemmed from an inability to bat positively without throwing wickets away at regular intervals.
The top-order has traditionally been occupied by ‘touch players’ but Bracewell insisted on the eve of the tournament that the batting unit has worked on a more powerful approach.
“We are physically more mature now, and even mentally we are tougher now,” the New Zealander said.
“And we had some concentrated T20 focus which leading into that tournament we didn’t have. It is the first I had as a team. The climate changes all the time.”
“We are a bit more powerful now. We had a little of power-hitting. We changed our physical programme a little bit more, targeting power-hitting and making sure guys are in the right positions. They get confidence to strike the ball harder.”
Momentum is everything in Twenty20 and Ireland have the chance to lay down a marker in their opening game. As captain William Porterfield hinted at earlier, his team need to keep banging on the door and beating the drum.
The equation is simple and Ireland know exactly what they need to do to reach the second phase and make the sporting world stand up and take notice again.
“Qualification and a win in the major tournament,” Bracewell says of his hopes for the next couple of weeks. “It is more than achievable, we expect ourselves to do it.”
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