'I don't miss aiming to play at the highest level'
Ed Joyce talks about turning out for Ireland, then England, and moving back
It feels like any other game really. I was more nervous going into the Bangladesh game as that was our first outing in this World Cup. We were obviously extremely disappointed after that game and we're hoping to put in a good performance against England.
I wouldn't say England fear us, but I think they respect us and won't be taking us lightly, which just shows how far Irish cricket has come in the last five years or so. We really shouldn't have just scared Bangladesh last week. We should have beaten them after bowling and fielding so well.
I'm delighted to be back with my old team-mates. Those 18 months with England, I really enjoyed that. It was in quest of playing Test cricket. That did not come about, unfortunately. The silver lining is, I'm back with Ireland.
I made the decision in 2001. Mike Gatting and Angus Fraser at Middlesex asked me if I wanted to try and play for England. Till then it had not even entered my head. I did not even know you could do that.
It was and it was not. England and Ireland are neighbours and big rivals in a lot of other sports but not necessarily in cricket. That is because in Ireland there were a lot of good players always, but there were not really any structures in place to play well as a team. There was no plan to go forward as a cricketing nation, whereas now there is. That is new. It is an exciting team to be around, playing World Cups and competing against the best countries.
That was a bit strange. It was good to be involved in the tournament in 2005 which allowed Ireland to qualify for the World Cup, and then to play for a different country in the tournament was a bit odd. It is just one of those anomalies.
Not really. I put my eggs in the basket. The reason I was playing for England was because I wanted to try and play Test cricket. Ireland still don't play that. At that point I wanted to play at the highest level. That was the dream. I went on an Ashes tour and was the 12th man in the Test squad a few times. I was close enough but did not quite get there.
I'm more interested and excited being with this team [Ireland], really, because it is a more vibrant atmosphere. The same guys I played with in 2005… the improvement is amazing, and some of the younger players who have come in have improved so much. There are a lot of full-time professionals there. I do not really miss aiming to play at the highest level. Hopefully, Ireland will get there in the near future.
I did not last very long to get sledged!
It has to be the hundred against Australia in Sydney. It was a very difficult Ashes tour and I did not play any game. I was part of the squad. It was a very downbeat team, and then to come back and win that one-day series against Australia and New Zealand after losing the first couple of the games was really good. To be integral in that team and get a hundred, get a few fifties, was the high point. It is a pity I did not kick on from there. [Andrew] Flintoff and [Duncan] Fletcher were pretty complimentary at that stage.
The World Cup was pretty much a disaster for that England team. There was no doubt that some people were going to pay the price. I've said this before: if I had performed better than I did and then got left out I would understandably be very upset. I think I deserved to play a bit more than I did, but I did not really set the world on fire. I performed to a level. I could have done better. I should have done better. And I did not. That is frustrating.
"There was no plan for Ireland to go forward as a cricketing nation, whereas now there is. That is new. It is an exciting team to be around"
In a way it has been easier because Hamish Marshall was doing the same, so there were two of us. But as I said earlier, it would've been harder if I had not been involved in the 2005 qualification. So I feel I've done my bit in the past to get Ireland to where they are. It does not feel like I'm gatecrashing. That is a good thing.
Phil had a difficult job because he took over from Adrian Birrell, who had a huge influence on Irish cricket. But Phil reads cricket incredibly well. He picks up something about your game very quickly and tells you in his own way. He has been very impressive. John Mooney says the improvement he has made under Phil has been huge - he is one of the guys who was part-time before and now is full time.
I would always advise and encourage anyone to shoot for the stars and try and be the best you can be. Until Ireland gets Test status it is difficult to tell someone not to play Test cricket. Eoin is a good example. He is a good friend, a good man, has a long England career ahead of him, and he has a good head on his shoulders.
It's interesting, because I grew up playing cricket in Ireland. Ireland always had a cricket team but they were never particularly competitive. Once the opportunity came to play at the higher level, no one at home - anyone who knew cricket at least - thought "What the hell is he doing?" It was just a natural progression. I went to England to play county cricket. Ireland did not even play one-day cricket back in 2001. It is probably slightly different for the younger guys now.
I would hope that if it goes down to 10 nations there would be some avenue left for Associates to qualify through playoffs between the lower-ranked ODI teams. I will be very disappointed if that was not the case. It would be very disappointing considering the strides that Ireland have made.
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo