An Irishman who always held ambitions to play at the very highest level, Ed Joyce was an important part of Middlesex's middle-order for a decade from his debut in 1999. Born in Dublin, and from a large family with four brothers and four sisters, Joyce was a star for Ireland at ICC Trophy level, scoring 758 runs in 14 matches between 2001 and 2005, at an average of 84.22. However, he completed his English residency qualification in 2005, and made his one-day debut against Ireland in 2006 before seemingly cementing his place with good performances in Australia and then against lesser opponents in the 2007 World Cup, although questions began to be raised about his fluency and he was discarded after England's dismal tournament. His county form was not enough to push his claims for a recall, and after an unhappy 2008 he severed his ties with Middlesex and moved south to Sussex where he revived his career with a prolific one-day season. He continued to develop as a batsman at Hove, averaging in the 40s in both first-class and limited-overs cricket in 2010. In the meantime, he also made clear his intentions to return to an international career with Ireland. He was named in an Irish pre-World Cup touring squad in October 2010 - more than five years after his last outing for Ireland - and shortly afterwards was granted special dispensation by the ICC to represent his country of birth at the tournament in February 2011.
Martin Williamson December 2010