Johnston drops retirement hint

Trent Johnson tosses up ahead of the match against Sri Lanka ... but was it for the final time? © Getty Images

In the aftermath of Ireland's World Cup farewell, Trent Johnston, their captain, dropped a broad hint that he would soon be announcing his retirement.

"This might be my last game" he said. "Maybe Phil [Simmons, the new coach] wants to get rid of the dead wood and get the young boys in? I don't know. I'll sit down with my family and see where we are going. It'll be pretty hard to go on after a World Cup and the seven weeks we've just had like this. But if I turn around I'd love to be a part of what Phil wants to achieve. It's a fantastic cricket calendar coming up and exciting times."

Reflecting on his team's experiences, Johnston said that the moment he jumped off the team bus after the group-stage victory over Pakistan was the one that would leave with him the longest. "That was the highlight for me," he said. "The reception we got there, when we went to visit our families and friends. I probably walked about two metres in 50 minutes. People wanted to talk to you and sign things, and that's never been seen before in Irish cricket. There were other moments, but spending that time with our families was great, because they have sacrificed a lot for us."

As Ireland prepare to embark on a new chapter in its cricket, Johnston was keen to stress the strength in depth in the country's grassroots cricket, and paid tribute to the programmes that Birrell had set in place - programmes that had turned Ireland into European champions at every level from Under-13s to seniors. "We've got to hang onto those kids and not let them go off to county cricket," he warned. "That's something down the track we've got to look to do.

"The majority of this squad will be around for the next World Cup. It's been a massive experience for them and a learning curve. Hopefully we will qualify and make the Super Eights again, because that's another goal and a realistic goal. The way we've performed here means we're going to get a lot more games against the high-profile teams. That's got to be good for Irish cricket. But we've got to keep those kids coming through."