*Official* Match 15 - England v Ireland

[Howe_zat]

I also get the feeling that large part of the team isn't hungry.

Yet another reason we needed Samit Patel.

 

[GIMH]

Samit doesn't look like the kind of guy who stays hungry long to me

 

[BoyBrumby]

BetfairFootball Betfair Football
Wow! 2.7 Million traded on England at 1.01. That's gotta hurt. #cwc2011 #betfair

Anyone betting on England in an ODI at those odds deserves everything they get, tbh.

Anyone, kudos to the Irish. O'Brien jr's knock one of the truly great innings. Just pure, clean hitting.

 

[Redbacks]

Well done Ireland

 

[Jono]

Highlights are on Fox Sports now. I stayed up til about 2:30-3am and watched until 5/111 so the bit I really want to see, i.e. O'Brien go nuts, is yet to come. Can't wait to watch it

Will forever regret going to bed now at 5 wickets down. WAC I am.

 

[Chubb]

There is no need for England fans to panic. Though I've criticised England in the past for talking up the performance of the opposition rather than focusing on their own mistakes, I think this is one of those occasions where nothing could stop a man playing the innings of his life. It was KOB's day. Tighten up the fielding and England will be fine.

 

[Jono]

That's the key, its the fielding. The last two huge chases, one ending in a tie, and the other a loss, had some poor bowling and great batting, yes. But ultimately the fielding from India against England and England against Ireland was unbelievably poor.

Catch the ball tbh.

 

[slugger]

pakistan dont feel so bad now.

 

[Ausage]

I've always kind of hoped to see an associate do something absolutely ridiculous like reach the semi finals. Obviously not a likely outcome but it would be great to see all the same. What would it take at a tournament like this for a team like Ireland to force their way into the group of test playing nations?

 

[Jono]

Watchibg O'Brien's knock right now.

**** he came out swinging. Didn't even really first get his eye in. Went after Swann pretty early in his knock.

 

[Spark]

IRELAND! O'Brien!

England

 

[GIMH]

I don't like being on the receiving end of this but it is a truly great moment for the sport.

It is worth sitting through a heap of associate thrashings to have one or two of these per tournament.

Keep the minnows in for 2015, please

 

[BoyBrumby]

I've always kind of hoped to see an associate do something absolutely ridiculous like reach the semi finals. Obviously not a likely outcome but it would be great to see all the same. What would it take at a tournament like this for a team like Ireland to force their way into the group of test playing nations?

Kyle McCallan was in the Sky studio up here and he said there's a feeling in the Irish camp that they've done more than Bangladesh had when they were promoted to test status.

Has a point.

 

[Howe_zat]

Kyle McCallan was in the Sky studio up here and he said there's a feeling in the Irish camp that they've done more than Bangladesh had when they were promoted to test status.

Has a point.

Has a point certainly - I have been mulling this over myself - one thing that's nagging me about that is that Bangladesh were perhaps introduced too early and/or too bluntly to be used as a proper example. Ideally we'd like to avoid Bangladesh's first five years of test cricket.

 

[Jono]

My God England's fielding was really bad. What stuck out most was not only the dropped catches, but the catches that could have been taken if the fielder stayed on the rope instead of coming forward. I counted two or three during Ireland's innings which should have been taken.

Then you had Prior, Strauss, Yardy etc. drops and they really did give Ireland every opportunity to win the game. Add some half volleys and short balls, and a brilliant innings from O'Brien and smart batting from Cusack... and you have one of the biggest upsets ever.

It's not just that a minnow has won e.g. Bangladesh in 99, Kenya in 2003 or Ireland and Bangladesh in 2007. A minnow beat a test nation chasing 328 to win after being 5/111 and needing over 8rpo at one stage.

LUDICROUS really. So good.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

OMFG!

z

 

[Noble One]

Repeating what Jono mentioned but it is such an incredible feat for an associate nation to win in this fashion. Near all upsets in World Cup history has been due to strangled performances with the ball by spinners and medium pacers no faster than 125 k's. Ireland bowled poorly and yet they still managed the most improbable of victories.

Catching highlights of O'Brien's innings now. The man should retire, he will never score an innings of such quality and importance ever again. Some luck involved in the innings, but the majority of it was great cricket shots rather than throwing the head back and hitting hard.

I strongly support the increased involvement of Ireland in international top-level cricket. They appear to have the right structure in place to develop kids in the County system. They are achieving success not through a golden generation of cricketers, but through the development of an evolving team.

Impressive stuff.

 

[Flem274*]

Just seen the scorecard. OMFG, Ireland you beauties!

These ****s would wipe the floor with NZ.

 

[Howe_zat]

Haha Flem, I wouldn't go that far. But I have grown ever more convinced that the groups are seriously unbalanced. NZ would certainly have a tough time of it in group B.

 

[Flem274*]

Wish I was full blood Irish rather than half. Then I could support a decent cricket team.

Somewhat ironic my second supporting team has won more games in this WC against top eight sides than NZ.

If Bangladesh can whup NZ 4-0, then the Irsh can beat us imo. True, Bangladesh have spinners, and we suck at spin, but Ireland are about equal with Bangladesh imo.