Younger brother of Niall, the Ireland wicketkeeper, Kevin O'Brien wrote his name into Irish cricketing lore with a magical innings against England on a balmy March evening in Bangalore. Entering the fray with his team in a perilous position chasing a mountainous 327, he smashed a 50-ball century - the fastest in World Cup history - to set up a historic three-wicket win. Though that knock made his name, O'Brien had already established himself as a competent allrounder, bowling medium pace and batting in the middle order, in limited-overs cricket at Associate level.

He represented Ireland at the 2004 Under-19 World Cup in which he racked up 241 runs and, laying down a marker for the future, also struck 35 from 48 balls against England on his ODI debut. Like many of Ireland's batsmen, he had a productive time in Kenya during the 2007 World Cricket League when he was their second-highest scorer with 263 runs at an average of 52.80, including a delightful 142 from 125 balls against the hosts. He was consistent with the bat in the 2007 World Cup and resourceful with the ball, though not devastatingly successful in either discipline.

He has since blossomed in both departments, and his name sits near the very top of both Ireland's ODI batting and bowling record lists. Although his record in Twenty20 internationals is modest to say the least, his remarkable innings against England spurred talk of the possibility of lucrative Twenty20 contracts for O'Brien, and he also remains on the lookout for a county contract.
Liam Brickhill March 2011