Irish Cricket 2023

Strumms

31 degrees in Harare, no rain forecasted, sunny with a few clouds. Looks likely all 40 overs will be possible…

considering TNT sports are listed to be showing live T10 cricket… including New York Strikers vs Morrisville Samp Army… but can’t be arsed procuring a feed from Harare of live international T20 cricket… piss poor…

the ‘Livestream details will be posted when available’ was posted yet again on cricket Ireland’s twitter / X about 4 hours ago. Less than 3 hours now to the first ball being bowled and does the national administrator for the sport here really have no idea how their supporters may watch their team ?

Strumms

https://twitter.com/cricketireland/status/1732775117439025309

still waiting.

minitrue

I'd make a long scathing post except at this point it's nothing unusual.

No doubt they'd just blame the host board and if anyone pushed them double down by saying the domestic audience is too weak and have blank faces if questioned about how their actions over the years have done more to suppress rather than build that audience.

Strumms

Zimbabwe win the toss and will bowl.

minitrue

I can't even snoop on twitter since Elmo decided you have to login to see most things, have they posted a link or given up yet?

I have a dodgy restream of fancode up with the dulcet tones of Andy Leonard but I'm curious if they've even said anything yet with 5 minutes to go?

Strumms

The only thing I can find is fancode. Not purchasing it though, just can’t be arsed…. Pretty much got every subscription sports package here, not coughing up more €€.

minitrue

Fancodes site says India only in the FAQs so I don't think you even have that option.

Radio silence from CI?

It's a pretty nuts side we are playing really, can we have all 10 bowl please to amuse me? Only surprise would be Balbirnie has never bowled in a T20I, if nothing else he's made to bowl an over in 60 seconds and catch up time so there's no extra fielder in.

Good start (42-0 off 4 and that's after a quiet 4th over) which probably means I've just put the kiss of death on it ;)

minitrue

Yep, 3 balls later Stirling misses a low full toss on leg and is given LBW. Just maybe going down, he walked right across, commentators think it's stone cold dead. Sorry!

Strumms

53/2… Balbernie gone after a quick fire aggressive 32…… could have done with him hanging around another 5/6 overs.

Strumms

Ship steadied somewhat.

wont be a big total I’m guessing but should be a nicely competitive one hopefully.

89/3 Tucker gone.

Top 3 batsmen all getting significant enough starts…frustrating

fergiesfav

How do they keep getting worse?

Strumms

Forget my above prediction…. Our lower middle order blown out of the water by the Zimbabweans….

89/3 ———> 147/8

Delaney scoring 26 from 11 saves our blushes a bit….

minitrue

I'll call that your successful turn to put the kiss of death on it Strumms!

To me Tector was just piling the pressure onto each new bat as he just looked happy to knock it about and let the rest die trying as they really had to look to force it from the off unless we were willing to settle for a miserable total.

Can't say I'm shocked the long list of hitters struggled to just crash it about off bit of prep they have going into this. Once the new ball and powerplay were gone (spinners on) it's looked a lot tougher. A few in about the 4th over beat the bat and suggested it's not just a spinners wicket but really it was a case that once the powerplay ended it was all spin for a good while where we struggled and the seam only really returned by the point we had new bats having to swing from the off to try and get us to anything like a par score, Tector couldn't/didn't cash in and the rest couldn't find a groove as the Zim seamers did a good job of mixing things up until ...

lol, 3rd ball of the last over Delany finally really connects with one (only his 8th ball to be fair) and gets close to clearing the tall straight "clubhouse", just thrashes the next one for 4 over extra, cuts the next for 2 and tennis forehands the last ball for 6 to end up with 26 off 11 and give us a fairly poor but not quite so terrible as it was looking 147.

I wonder if Stirling will open. I'd be game to just bowl the 5 spinners here as long as none of them are struggling or find themselves bowling at someone who has their number!

MFPM

Hard to see them defending 148 based on recent evidence, I think we particularly struggle at T20.

fergiesfav

What would Ireland give for a player like Raza. A genuine world class match winner, that can change the complexion of a game in 3/4 overs.

Instead Ireland have a middle order that are rabbits in headlights game after game

fergiesfav

Mark Adair letting his teammate's down big time here. Not the first time either.....

fergiesfav

Raza is always the wicket, always. Josh Little, our strike bowler bowled the first delivery he faced. He didn't bowl to him again until Raza was 44 no and flying. Stirling didn't try and get Raza out. He let him settle in and then win the game for his team.

It's more of the same from the Irish set up. The tactics are done in the dressing room, not on the pitch. There's no Cricket nous. Little should've bowled out from the start, if Raza bats for 14 overs, he wins the game, you need to get him out.

Awful game management game after game. New captain, same rubbish bowling tactics

Wouldn't trust McCarthy to defend 35!!

fergiesfav

Have Ireland ever won a tight game?

dohboy

Sounds like it went to the wire. Tough luck on the bowlers who did well to pull it back.

The state of some of the ranting that goes on in here... delusions of grandeur about the team.

fergiesfav

Delusion in what way. This Zimbabwe team couldn't qualify ahead of Uganda for the world cup.

Adair bowled one good over, the or he we three were rubbish.

McCarthy couldn't defend 9 against 10&11.

The team are 5 years and two captain's making the same mistakes

They were massively flattered by the scoreline. They were outplayed by a very poor team.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121468356#Comment_121468356

There is literally no ranting, just people making observations and discussing the game as they see it… all opinions offered are pretty spot on and realistic.

Batsmen just didn’t do enough…Balbernie top scorer with just 32…5 scores under 10 runs…. 2 of those from Dockrell and Campher… the backbone of our middle order. Last 6 batsmen and only one got a double figure score..

if we had 25 more runs, maybe the bowlers might have had enough put more pressure on and pulled it off, we’ll never know, because we never got enough runs…!

dohboy

Ireland are a pretty limited side, have been for ages, relying on the same lads for years, and have no right to be anyway decent given the small playing pool we have. Yet some folk here go on like we should be world beaters. The sense of entitlement is daft. Running Zimbabwe very close, away from home, in a T20 is a good result.

dohboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121468416#Comment_121468416

You forgot to mention Adair's catch.

https://x.com/nathanrjohns/status/1732854760825364609?s=20

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121468653#Comment_121468653

It’s a loss, which by the very definition, is not a good result. You may argue it was a good performance. Many will disagree as will I considering….

Again repeating myself …… Balbernie top scorer with just 32…5 scores under 10 runs…. 2 of those from Dockrell and Campher… the backbone of our middle order. Last 6 batsmen and only one got a double figure score.. we ran Zimbabwe close, but a good performance I still say it isn’t…

International competitive sport is a results business….

ICC T20 rankings place Zimbabwe 11th, Ireland 13th… the gap in talent while there isn’t colossal…

i didn’t see the match but it reads from what I’m seeing that Lorcan Tucker make an error with the gloves on the last delivery that handed victory to Zimbabwe… a shame if true…. Just when composure was needed it was not present.

when the pressure is on, you need to keep your concentration and your head.

in a good position, batting collapse + drop. 🤷‍♂️

InsideEdge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121469427#Comment_121469427

Bit harsh to blame Lorcan Tucker for the defeat - it wasn't an error as the ball came off an inside edge that wrong-footed Tucker. This performance was on a different level to those earlier in the summer so on that basis there is progress. The catches from Tector and Adair were genuine world class and Adair became the first Irish bowler to take 100 T20 wickets, which is a significant milestone.While results are important, what is more important is getting the players to perform at a consistently high level so that they are fully prepared for the World Cup next year. Cricket Ireland have appointed a new spin coach and that can only be a benefit to our slow bowlers at this level.

I see that some people have complained about Cricket Ireland and the lack of TV coverage or a live stream of the game. This has nothing to do with Cricket Ireland and is entirely the responsibility of the home organisation as is the case for every international game. Zimbabwe seem to have sold the broadcast rights to a betting company and even Zimbabwean residents weren't able to view the game unless they signed up to the betting company's app.

KevIRL

Zim two down early on. Raza banned for remaining T20 games too

Strumms

78/5 --->165/5

We really had them on the ropes..

The 6th wicket partnership of 87 could prove costly...

That said 166 runs is getable... but getting it.... I'd probably back Zimbabwe to be honest... we are not great at converting opportunity into victory..

Strumms

20/2 after 4 overs. In those 4 overs we've only hit 2 boundaries... both 4's....

2 new batsmen at the crease... required run rate just under 10....

but we take 18 off Gwandu’s first over 😅

KevIRL

Good stuff this from tector and campher

Strumms

Yep, totally and ahh Campher gone as I type. I’d expect we’ve enough to see us home barring a collapse.

no boundaries in the last 2 overs though.

Tector gone, damn.