Upbeat Ireland hope to make a few heads spin

IRELAND’S T20 World Cup kicks off on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo at 1.30pm Irish time.

Facing the hosts Sri Lanka, with their impressive pace bowlers and mystery spinners, is as tricky a start as they could have faced, but the ever-optimistic Paul Stirling will ensure his side goes in with positive thoughts.

It’s hard to feel optimistic about a tournament that has rarely seen the best of Ireland. Since the 2014 event there has been an
embarrassing defeat in almost every tournament, losing to the Netherlands (2014), Oman, Netherlands (both 2016), Namibia (2021) and Canada (2024).

Only a win over Bangladesh in 2009 and the memorable wins over West Indies and England in Australia four years ago stand in the credit column.

This tournament has had a troubled run-in, with two of the Asian powers finally snapping at what they see as India’s abuse of power.

In January, Bangladesh’s fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League team on the instructions of the Indian board. With tense relations between the nations over the exile of ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in India, the Bangladesh government pulled its team from the World Cup, citing ‘security concerns’.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have pulled out of their pool game against India, conceding the points. The Islamabad prime minster Shehbaz Sharif said his country were ‘supporting Bangladesh’.

Pakistan and India only meet nowadays in tournaments, having ceased mutual visits almost 20 years ago, and the games are always box office TV events. ICC rigs the draw to ensure they always meet, as they have done at the last eight tournaments. Indian-hosted events always have a regional co-host as Pakistan are unable to play in India.

The upshot of it all is a blank Sunday night on February 15, and Scotland accepting a late invitation to replace Bangladesh. Even that was controversial, as the Scots had finished fourth in the race for two qualifying tickets, but their higher ranking squeezed third-place Jersey out.

It’s hard to see the Scots emulating Denmark, who won the 1992 football Euros after coming in late to replace Yugoslavia.

The draw has been unkind to Ireland, pitching them against the hosts today, followed quickly by Australia.

Over the past 20 years Ireland have played Sri Lanka 11 times and are yet to win. The Sri Lankans have won both Tests and all five ODIs by wide margins.

This is the fourth meeting between the sides at a T20 World Cup, with the very first, in 2009, being the closest Ireland ever got to a win.

Trent Johnston had stepped down as captain but still spearheaded the attack with 1-18 at Lord’s, claiming the wicket of Kumar Sangakkara. Alex Cusack ripped through the middle order, his 4-18 still Ireland’s best at a World Cup. William Porterfield, Niall O’Brien and John Mooney each made 31 in a thrilling chase that ended just nine runs short.

The only Irish survivor from that campaign is Stirling, who played once, scoring a feisty 17 on his T20 debut against Pakistan at the Oval.

The sides have met in the pool stages of two more recent World Cups: Ireland were bowled out for 101 in a 70-run defeat in Abu Dhabi in 2021, with Josh Little’s 4-23 still the best figures in his international career.

A sticky surface in Hobart the following year suited the Asians spin attack. Harry Tector made 45 and Stirling 34 but 128-8 was not nearly enough and they went down by nine wickets with five overs to spare.

Stirling will again open the batting, playing in his ninth World Cup, equalling the record of India’s Rohit Sharma and Shakib al-Hasan of Bangladesh. Like all the Irish players, he has played little international cricket over the past two years but looks to have returned to form against Bangladesh and Italy over the winter.

A good opening partnership is key to T20 success and much will depend on how Ross Adair has recovered from a knee injury. He found the boundary regularly against UAE last week but Tim Tector is ready to step up if he loses form.

Harry Tector has had a good year in T20, but his record in this event is dire – he averages 8 – and he may struggle against the spin-heavy attacks in Sri Lanka. Curtis Campher was recalled against UAE and scored 25 and 54no, while Lorcan Tucker is a dependably quick and inventive scorer before the hopefully big-hitting middle order of Ben Calitz, Gareth Delany and George Dockrell.

There are concerns about Ireland’s seam department, but unless they qualify for the second phase in India that is unlikely to play much of a part.

The only Irish cricketer to play in the IPL, Little has gone badly off the boil since he lost his contract with Gujarat Titans.

The left-arm paceman hasn’t taken a T20 wicket for Ireland in almost a year, and last took a wicket for anyone in July. He was pummelled by Bangladesh and Italy last month, going for 10.5 an over, and was dropped for the rest of the warm-ups.

Heinrich Malan will likely rely on three spinners, with Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy providing the pace, with Campher chipping in and Little and Craig Young standing by as back up.

One genuinely bright spot concerns the spin department, a group likely to be overworked in that part of the world. England fielded six spinners at one stage in their white-ball tour of Sri Lanka last month.

Matthew Humphreys has been a revelation since he started opening the bowling last year. His spell against West Indies at Bready in June – four overs, 2-16 when every other bowler was hit for more than 12 an over – was as good as any seen by an Irish spinner in years. The Trinity student has continued to shine, taking 4-13 in his first four-over spell in Bangladesh.

Delany too has been in good form with the ball, and scores useful runs down the order – he was Ireland’s leading scorer in the US World Cup.

Dockrell has spent the last decade becoming a powerful middle order bat but has kept his bowling hand in. When called on in the recent UAE tour he showed his mettle, taking 3-24 off seven overs.

Ben White is first spin reserve, and Harry Tector and Ross Adair are also capable of decent tweakers, meaning that Ireland’s seam department may not be exposed as much as had been feared initially.

The side has been well-prepared and looks in decent nick, but as Mike Tyson famously said, ‘Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.’

Today, in front of a raucous, packed house in Colombo, batters such as Pathum Nissanka and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga are preparing to land those punches.