IRELAND LOSE TWICE IN BELFAST GLOOM
By The Third Umpire
Ireland's ODIs against India and South Africa both ended in soggy defeat at the weekend
Big-time one-day cricket came to Norrthen Ireland for the first time - but the Irish team (and the weather) could not live up to the occasion: Saturday saw a nine-wicket defeat by India; Sunday a 41-run defeat by South Africa.
With both games heavily affected by rain, play concluded at a cold and gloomy 8 pm on both days. The sunny delights of Ireland's shock World Cup run in the Caribbean seemed a long time ago.
With World Cup heroes including Boyd Rankin nd Andre Botha (injured), Jeremy Bray (unavailable) and Eoin Morgan (playing for Middlesex instead) all out of the picture, Ireland named a new-look side on Saturday.
But it was old hands Niall O'Brien (52) and skipper Trent Johnston (34) who helped shore up a decent total after a sluggish start: at 83/5 in the 27th over, it looked like men-against-boys. O'Brien and Johnston made sure the side used the whole 50 overs, ending with 193 all out.
On a sticky pitch, that was a better score than it might have appeared.
New boy Roger Whelan then became the first lead singer of an indie band ever to open the bowling in a one-day international (unless you know different: [email protected]). The Stimulants' Oasis-alike stylings can be heard at www.myspace.com/thestimulantsmusicrock. But Whelan was crooning for a different reason on Saturday - in his first over of international cricket, he remeoved Little Master Sachin Tendulkar, clean bowled.
The distant chance of an upset came closer as new boy Thinus Fourie found Sourav Ganguly's edge, but Ganguly (73*) and man of the match Gautam Gambhir (80*) saw them home to their revised target of 171 off 39 overs, with four overs to spare. Lank-haired stumper MS Dhoni - absent with flu - was hardly missed.
Sunday's game was delayed for five hours by rain and reduced to 31 overs a side. Ireland restricted South Africa with a tight bowling display, led by debutant Alex Cusack's 3/15. Jacques Kallis played it steady as Ireland restricted the tourists to a gettable 173/4.
Cusack (36*), who learned his cricket in Australia and has only just qualified for Ireland, anchored the run chase. But despite being 45/0 off nine overs, the Irish were soon in trouble against Vernon Philander (yet another debutant), who took 4/12 as the home side crumped to 131 all out.
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