Before the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, Ireland was just like any other associated nation participating in that mega event.
Brien O’Rourke says that people’s perspective back home has changed after the World Cup
MUMBAI: Before the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, Ireland was just like any other associated nation participating in that mega event. However, things suddenly changed for the then-minnows after they shockingly defeated one of the powerhouses in cricket, Pakistan, and then Bangladesh.
Nowadays, Ireland are seen with utmost respect by the elite cricket playing countries. And with the under-19 World Cup coming in, their juniors want to repeat the achievements of their seniors. The Ireland U-19 cricket team have come on a five-day trip to Mumbai, where they will be playing a couple of practice games before leaving for Kuala Lumpur.
“The weather in Ireland was not suitable for practising, as it’s too chilly: around -2, -3 over there. We used to do our practising indoors. As such, it was difficult to play matches over there and that’s why we are here in Mumbai, which has provided us with good facilities,” Ireland coach Brien O’Rourke told DNA on Thursday.
The coach said that his boys are keen to emulate their seniors. “The boys have been working hard and are keen to follow the footsteps of their seniors who did well by beating a giant team like Pakistan and then Bangladesh,” said a delighted Rourke.
He also revealed that the wins in the World Cup changed the perspective of the Irish people towards cricket. “Earlier, very few knew about cricketers like Niall O’Brien and Trent Johnston, but once they performed at the crucial time — shocking the big teams — people started to recognize them. The win also helped us get more financial support and even the Irish government came forward and have started supporting us,” he added.
Rourke was disappointed that Irish people don’t understand cricket, and sees the fact that it is a six hour game that creates difficulties in drawing the spectators towards the stadiums. “Cricket is a long game, longer than golf even. Therefore people feel it’s a boring game and not a spectators sport, hence it has been ignored,” he added.
He says, however, that the attitude will change if Ireland becomes a test playing nation. “Our ambition is to play Tests. We have around ten thousand people who play cricket and I think gradually we will develop as a cricket playing nation,” he said.
Even though cricket is not a major sport in Ireland, the facilities provided for the players are impressive. “The facilities for players are extremely good. We have club tournaments in Ireland, and we are planning for another cricket stadium in Dublin now that we have started playing ODI series every two years,” the coach said.
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