God bless Ireland!
Well, you have to admit that was one of the finest bits of cricket you’re likely to see! And coming from someone who has only had one ear (literally in my case, thanks to a rather painful blister-like haematoma inside my right lobe that burst about an hour ago) on the World Cup, that is saying something.
Ireland, talented and always up for a scrap, were definitely the favourites to lose against England. No matter how close they came to beating Bangladesh, or the amount of character they showed, it was still a bit like Ken Dodd taking on B A Baraccus, armed with only a tickling stick and a smile. It didn’t stop the Irish from taking on the might of England and giving them a little bit of a bloody nose! England are curious in many ways...I sometimes think they look like a team that can’t quite believe the script didn’t go the way they expected it to. There was a sort of stunned and bewildered look about them, as if they were wondering where it all went wrong...
They have in fairness played an awful lot of cricket (or as some critical members of the press would have it, a lot of awful cricket). But they do seem a little jaded at present, so perhaps the Irish defeat will make them even more determined to show some fight, which I think in the case of certain individuals looks as if it’s been systematically ground out of them.
Take nothing away from the magnificent Irish, and in particular Kevin O’Brien for scoring the fastest ever century in the tournament’s history. Can you believe he hasn’t got a county? I’m sure there must be some interest from certain quarters given the demolition number he did on England’s bowlers! It was a result that was almost to a man completely unpredicted, but one worth celebrating regardless of who you support. Cricket was definitely the winner here.
Just goes to show that you can never entirely disregard anything happening in sport. Last November, when Mr Ramprakash injured his knee playing footie, there were some who decided that the incident was most likely going to end his career. I mean, 41 must be the equivalent of 13 years in a racehorse. There aren’t too many who stay in training beyond 12 years, mostly because they’re considered past their best, or have become wise to the game and lose their spark, or because the old legs don’t move the way they used to. In short, it’s a few stops short of the glue factory.
I’m not advocating shooting racehorses or cricketers when they get past a certain age, by the way.
Well, just as in the Irish result you can never tell what’s going to happen, but the good news is that Mr R signed a contract extension today which will take him through this year and see him to the end of 2012. I have to confess to being extremely pleased...not just from a Surrey watching/listening perspective. To end on a year which could be compromised by having a third of it curtailed by lengthy rehabilitation from injury seems a poor way to bow out of a sport that you’ve dedicated the best part of your life to, and would surely have been very frustrating. At least with the possibility of next year to look forward to, we may yet have the opportunity to see some more batting from one of county cricket’s finest ever players.
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