We must enjoy the World Cup experience

As I embark on my second World Cup with Ireland, my abiding memory of the 2007 event was the sheer excitement of the occasion. Back then we were new on the world stage, and parts of the country didn’t even know we played the sport.

We couldn’t have scripted that competition any better from a media perspective as we started with a tied game with Zimbabwe – only the third in the history of the competition. That got people back home hooked, but that was only the appetiser ahead of the St Patrick’s Day game with Pakistan.

We produced one of the great upsets of all time by beating the star studded side in a tense low scoring game in Jamaica, and it’s fair to say that Irish cricket hasn’t looked back since.

The 2007 squad was essentially amateur. I was training to be an electrician, and amongst other occupations we had two teachers, a postman, a painter, and a carpenter. That said there was no shortage of talent in that side, and our results and hard work brought results.

Fast forward four years and we’re predominantly all earning our living from cricket – only Andrew White and Nigel Jones don’t.

While I was on the periphery last time, my game has progressed and I’m targeting a starting place this time around. The full-time contract with Cricket Ireland has helped me focus more and given me self belief. I’ve now played 99 times for Ireland in all competitions, and it’ll be a great honour if I can get to the magical 100 mark in the opening game against Bangladesh.

There’s no doubt that I’ve become more mature and stabilised as a person over the years. Training as an electrician gave me responsibility and discipline and although I enjoyed it, my dream and goal was always to play cricket professionally. As I grew up and matured, I realised the importance of being consistent and putting in the hard yards at training. Talent will only take you so far, and you’ve got to put the hard work in training, and you’ll get your rewards.

Some people develop late into the game, and I suppose at 29 now, I’ve learned a lot along the way. I played club cricket in South Africa when I was younger, and last year spent a season in Australia with Wannaroo.

The two Husseys played there, and their father Ted was an integral figure there. Mitchell Johnson was registered there also, but didn’t play in my season. Brett Mulder who played state cricket for Western Australia in the 90’s set it up for me after he had spent a season coaching at North County in Dublin.

That season Down Under was huge for me, and my game really kicked on. They had a great set-up there, and I worked really hard on all aspects of my game, with special emphasis on my bowling. This Ireland team is full of allrounders, and it’s important in one-day cricket to be able to contribute in all departments.

Our build up for this tournament has been great. We spent a month in Pune funded by our team sponsor RSA, working on batting against spin, which is going to be what we’re facing primarily in these conditions. Cricket Ireland, with help from the Irish Sports Council, invested in the Merlyn spin bowling machine which everyone made use of when we trained at the indoor facility in North County.

Just prior to the competition we’ve been at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai which is a just unbelievable facility, and we had a really enjoyable and rewarding time there. That brought us on to our warm-up games which were great games of cricket. New Zealand got 311, but we gave them a scare in the run chase before falling short. We then played Zimbabwe, and chased 244 to win in the last over – it was a great feeling to score the winning runs. That win has given everyone a boost and our morale and team spirit is superb – just what you’d expect from any Irish sporting side.

That win over Zimbabwe came without Ed Joyce and our skipper William Porterfield playing, so it shows just how much depth there is to the current squad.

We face Bangladesh in our opening game next week and that’s going to be a massive game for both sides. They have such a huge and passionate following, and there’s sure to be an incredible atmosphere at the game. We’ve got to control our emotions, and although it’ll be electric, we’ve played in front of big crowds before.

We’ve got a good record against Bangladesh in major tournaments. We beat them in 2007 in Barbados, and again at Trent Bridge in the World Twenty20 , so it should be a really tight contest.

The whole competition is just going to be a great experience for us, and our coach Phil Simmons has stressed the need for us to enjoy the major occasion that a World Cup is. I think we’ll get a lot of neutrals behind us as the tournament progresses, and they’ll enjoy the way we play the game. We’re here to win games, and I think our progression as a cricket team will be evident for all to see. I’m sure our supporters will enjoy India and Bangladesh, and I hope with my fiancée Helena and my mother Frances among them, they get plenty to cheer about.

In my next blog, I’ll be giving my thoughts on the current Ireland squad, and who to watch out for.

Till next time, John.