Published: Mar 03, 2011, 10:07 AM (IST)
Edited: Jul 03, 2014, 11:00 AM (IST)
By Venkat Balantrapu
Ireland handed a stunning defeat to England and, in the process, taught quite a few lessons to the formidable World Cup teams. In what was a replay of the famous NatWest Trophy final between India and England, Ireland made mincemeat of the English attack, with the only difference being the Irish skipper did not remove his shirt this time around and Andrew Flintoff wasn’t present on the ground. India need to take a leaf out of Ireland’s books if they nurture hopes of progressing beyond the quarter-stage of this World Cup.
Just like India, who were reeling with five wickets down for 146 against England in the 2002 NatWest series final, Ireland was pinned to the wall at 111 for five. This was a stage when everyone the ground would have drawn the inevitable conclusion and mentally awarded victory to England with a resolution to leave the ground. Except, may be, the English coach Andy Flower who had no choice but to believe that everything was over. Just to compare the two famous matches involving England, if India were chasing 326, Ireland were chasing 327. If India lost five wickets before Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif scripted a sensational turnaround, Ireland lost their five wickets a wee bit earlier.
Ireland’s stunning fightback was masterminded by Kevin O’Brien and Cusack, who staged an unparalleled show never seen before in World Cup history. In the process, O’Brein reached his 100 off just 50 deliveries, eclipsing the World Cup record of the fastest hundred (in 66 balls) by Matthew Hayden. O’Brien’s innings was an epic as big as Kapil Dev’s 175 not out when with India reeling at 17 for five. For the simple reason that O’Brien’s innings of 113 off 63 deliveries was for a cause chasing an improbable uphill task of chasing 328.
England got away with a win in the first match against a deserving Netherlands and with a tie against. But Ireland completed the unfinished task of Netherlands by turning the tables on England. If ICC has announced their intentions to keep away the minnows from the next edition of the World Cup, Ireland gave a fitting reply to the apex body. Ireland’s performance against England is a wakeup call for the established teams.
Ireland ensured that the match will certainly go down as one of the biggest, best and thrilling chases in the history of the cricket World Cup. If the India-England tie brought this World Cup alive, the Irish chase was an icing on the cake.
(Venkat Balantrapu works in senior insurance management in Tanzania. He has deep passion for cricket and has played the game at various levels in India, and also in some of the African countries for over a period of two decades. Venkat writes on the game with the same passion for various websites and magazines)
