Ireland activist of World Cup do again

Ireland

Ireland skipper William Porterfield insists the make-up of England's team for Thursday's One Day International in Dublin has not diminished the sense of juncture in the Irish capital.

It will be England's first look in an ODI in Dublin and even with the likes of Kevin Petersen, James Anderson and Graeme Swann absent from the line-up; the sense of expectation in the Irish camp is strong.

Ireland notably beat England in the World Cup earlier this year and that has added to the publicity nearby the re-match.

"It's clearly massive," Porterfield told Sky Sports News. "There's been a lot of build-up and hype about it particularly after the World Cup, so it is going to be a good time."

Temporary stands have been erected for a sell-out crowd of 5,000 at a ground that is more suggestive of a club venue than an international stadium.

Porterfield added: "The crowds are going to be on top of the players. When we played Australia here a pair of years ago it was a full house and a pretty good environment, so it makes for a pretty good occasion."

And the Irish are keen to build on the force that World Cup win gave the game in the Republic.

"No one takes us lightly any longer when they come over here and it's going to be a good game of cricket. We are looking forward to it," Porterfield said.

"For the people back home the key was beating England, like in any sport - get one over on them - and we manage to do that at the World Cup. It did wonders back here and hopefully we can keep that going and keep Irish cricket touching forward."

As for the England side making the trip crossways the Irish Sea, Porterfield said: "To be honest it doesn't really substance that comes. It is a one day international next to England as far as we are concerned. Whoever puts on the shirt for them doesn't bother us, we are going out there to play next to England and that's all we care about."

Ed Joyce has played for England in the past but will be representing his motherland on Thursday, beside a side that has just taken over at the top of the Test rankings after an emphatic 4-0 series win over India.

Jouce said: "They have under enemy control and it's great to see. They are playing a great brand of cricket and are number one in the world, so fair play to them. They are a very good side. In ODI cricket they will be gunning to get up to number one as well, but we will be here tomorrow trying to stop them doing that."

Joyce also reckons this England side represents the future. "People like James Taylor and Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes - we have seen a lot of them in county cricket and they are special talents," he said. "I think those guys will be approximately England set-ups for a long time to come.

"So that will be stimulating for the Irish public. It will be a good time because these guys coming in are very good players.

"These guys will be in ODI squads going forward from here. It is not as under-strength as people are making out. They will clearly be a huge test for us and we are looking forward to giving them a good game."

0 comments:

Post a Comment