The Cricket thread

[Hardy]

I'll never get the hang of this stuff - I thought this was one-day cricket??!

(Over)

[Billys Boots]

I think it is, unless there's rain - no wonder we're not bad at it.

[realredhandfan]

Is it true we are playing the Brits in the next game.  Hoist up the tricolours lads, we've got a game on our hands.  800 years of hurt and all that.

[full back]

Yep, playing them on Friday

[realredhandfan]

Do we get a day off work?

[Hardy]

I hear it's a bit like the soccer only more so - the English get to pick Irish players and we get to have Aussies and boks. I'm near giving up on trying to figure all this out.  What makes a leg silly?

Seriously, though - for slagging purposes in the pub with a rugby/cricket head I know, can anyone tell me the qualification criteria for non-Irish born players to play for Irelland?

[magpie seanie]

Don't know an awful lot about it but heard the Ed Joyce was able to play for England because he "satisfied the two-year residency criteria". I assume that means if you live in a place for two years you can play for them. Micko wouldn't approve.....

[shotstopper1]

I'm not sure but I heard somewhere that the four? non Irish born players are married to Irish women.I also heard that England have more than the one non english born player playing for them.

[AZOffaly]

down through the years England have had a pile of Aussies, Boks and various other parts of the empire playing with them. I know Joyce is Irish and Pieterson is an Afrikaaner at least of this current lot. I'm not sure of the actual birthplace of the Sikh guy Panasar or Mahmood.

I think it's along the lines of the Rugby criteria, although with a shorter 'quarantine' period.

[shotstopper1]

Ireland Squad
Player                          D.O.B.    Born                                Bat/bowl
Trent Johnston (capt) 29/04/1974    Wollongong, Australia                RHB RFM
Andre Botha    12/09/1975    Johannesburg, South Africa    LHB LFM
Jeremy Bray    30/11/1973    Newtown, Australia                    LHB
Kenneth Carroll    22/03/1983    Dublin    RHB LB
Peter Gillespie    11/05/1974    Strabane    RHB RM
David Langford-Smith 7/12/76                    Sydney, Australia    RHB RFM
Kyle McCallan    27/08/1975    Carrickfergus    RHB OB
John Mooney    10/02/1982    Dublin    LHB RM
Paul Mooney    15/10/1976    Dublin    RHB RM
Eoin Morgan    10/09/1986    Dublin    LHB RM/WK
Kevin O'Brien    04/03/1984    Dublin    RHB RMF
Niall O'Brien    08/11/1981    Dublin    LHB WK
William Porterfield    06/09/1984    Derry    LHB
Boyd Rankin    05/07/1984    Derry    RHB RMF
Andrew White    03/07/1980    Newtownards    RHB OB


England World Cup squad
Player                      D.O.B.                      Born    Bat/bowl
Michael Vaughan (capt)    29/10/1974    Manchester    RHB OB
James Anderson    30/07/1982    Burnley    LHB RF
Ian Bell                    11/04/1982    Walsgrave    RHB RM
Ravi Bopara    04/05/1985    Forest Gate    RHB RMF
Paul Collingwood    26/05/1976    Shotley Bridge    RHB RM
Jamie Dalrymple    21/01/81                    Nairobi, Kenya    RHB OB
Andrew Flintoff    06/12/1977    Preston    RHB RF
Ed Joyce    22/09/1978    Wicklow, Ireland    LHB
Jon Lewis                    26/08/1975    Aylesbury    RHB RMF
Sajid Mahmood    21/12/1981    Bolton    RHB RF
Paul Nixon                    21/10/1970    Carlisle    LHB WK
Monty Panesar    25/04/1982    Luton    LHB SLA
Kevin Pietersen    27/06/1980    Pietermaritzburg, South Africa    RHB OB
Liam Plunkett    06/04/1985    Middlesbrough    RHB RF
Andrew Strauss    02/03/1977    Johannesburg, South Africa    LHB LM
      

4 each and suprisinglg enough Pansaer and Mahood both English born

[Onlooker]

If Ireland lose to England in the World Cup maybe we could lodge an objection and get the points, because Joyce should be playing for Ireland.    If Wicklow are having problems getting a footballer from Carlow, we might as well object to a Wicklow player being transferred to England!!!!!!!!!.

[AZOffaly]

Seemingly that Morgan lad is the next one to jump ship, although his performances with the bat in the Windies have been ppor enough so far. England probably wouldn't bother with him in that form. They have enough lads that can get out for 16. Expect a good innings from him on Friday to try and raise his profile.

[Rufus T Firefly]

What a match in Guyana - Malinga has taken four wickets in four balls!!  South Africa still need two to wim with one wicket left!!

[Gabriel_Hurl]

that was some tight finish alright

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Work on the Rankin family farm in Bready will once again grind to a halt on Friday afternoon when Ireland face England in their opening Super 8 match at the World Cup.

It's been a busy few weeks on the Rankin farm what with the lambing season and trying to get the myriad of other tasks done in between watching son and brother Boyd star in the West Indies.

Boyd's father Robert played for the county Londonderry-based Bready club right from the early days of the outfit and the Ireland bowler's younger brothers Robert and David and sister Jemma also represent the club.

"In this household, it's farming and cricket. The cricket is the only break we get from farming so it's very important for the family," says Boyd's mother Dawn.

Dawn is actually nursing a broken arm at the moment after falling during last Friday's Ireland v West Indies clash.

"We had brought my mother-in-law home for the day from her nursing home to watch the game with the family and when I was bringing her back, I slipped and broke my arm.

"So I missed the last hour of the match because I was at Altnagelvin (Hospital) getting my arm seen to."

But despite Dawn's unlucky break, she has refused to let her spirits be dampened ahead of Friday's clash against England.

"In the local area, even people who don't really bother with cricket are watching the games. Everybody is talking about it."

The six-foot seven inch paceman has kept in regular touch with home throughout the tournament.

"He was on the phone last night wondering how the bit of building work that is been done on the farm at the moment is coming along," Dawn told BBC Sport on Wednesday.

"He's very interested in what's going on at home and he's been able to chat away to all his friends through his lap-top which he brought to the West Indies.

"But he's really enjoying himself. There has been a bit of a break before the England game but he's the kind of fellow who is able to keep himself occupied."

Dawn revealed that Boyd has needed some physio treatment for a side strain over the last few days but suffice to say, he'll be available for the big game.

Rankin has already secured a contract with Derbyshire for next season after being on Middlesex's books for a couple of summers.

Boyd's mother says that Mike Hendrick's guidance has vital to her son's career and that relationship should be further strengthened over the coming season as the former England paceman is Derbyshire's bowling coach.

But Rankin will hope to claim a few more wickets in the Caribbean over the next few weeks before linking up with his new county team-mates.