Ireland on ‘upward trajectory’ as they bid to upset Sri Lanka

Ona a more positive note, Heinrich Malan’s squad enjoyed a productive (and rainless) preparation in Dubai, where they won four of five games against Italy and UAE. Heading into his fourth World Cup, seam bowler Barry McCarthy sounds like he fancies the idea of taking on Sri Lanka first up, especially if it means playing in a stadium full to its 35,000 capacity.

“I feel like we’re on an upward trajectory,” says McCarthy, 33. “We’ve been playing good cricket for the last while and our prep couldn’t have gone much better. We’ve also got plenty of experience in the group and, as individuals, we arrived here feeling good about where our games are at.

“To get out of the group, beating Oman and Zimbabwe is non-negotiable, really, and you try to take one scalp from Sri Lanka and Australia. I don’t think it matters what order you play the games. Sri Lanka won’t have much momentum behind them. It’s whoever plays the best cricket on the day.”

Such optimism is typical of a big-hearted bowler who has lasted 10 years in international cricket, having made his debut against Sri Lanka in an ODI at Malahide in 2016. McCarthy dislodged both Sri Lanka openers in his first seven balls that day before finishing with two for 69 off his nine overs — a hammering in old currency but respectable enough in this era of big bats and small boundaries.

Ireland have not beaten Sri Lanka in ten attempts across all three formats, only scaring them once, at Lord’s in 2009 during the second edition of the tournament, when the bowling of cricketing legends Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan saved the Lions from embarrassment.

Sri Lanka, in eighth, are only three slots above Ireland in the world rankings but the individual rankings are more instructive. Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendi and Kusal Perera are among the top 20 batters (Paul Stirling is Ireland’s highest at 59) while Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana are sixth and 20th in the bowling charts respectively. The highest-rated Irish bowler is 23-year-old left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys (41st), whose verve and nerve at the top of the innings is one of the most positive Irish cricket stories to emerge recently.

Another is the re-emergence of George Dockrell as a spin option, meaning that Stirling is expected to play just two seamers in McCarthy and Mark Adair, with Curtis Campher as back-up. Floodlit games tend to suit quicker bowlers but Josh Little’s form doesn’t merit his inclusion.

Bowling in T20 is a thankless gig, of course. McCarthy was reminded of this in one of the recent games against Italy. The Italians needed 16 to win when Stirling asked him to bowl the final over. At that point McCarthy’s very respectable figures read three overs, none for 22. But then an Italian by the name of Grant Stewart (ex-New South Wales and Kent) launched his first three balls out of the park. Game over.

McCarthy’s stoicism is one of the reasons he is so respected by team-mates, however. He understands the pitfalls of the job and keeps coming back for more. His resilience and positivity should serve Ireland well over the coming days.

“T20 is seriously hard, especially when you get on flat wickets,” McCarthy says. “Depending on the stage of the game, going at 13 or 14 an over can be a good result. But someone asked me recently for my best asset and I said: experience. There aren’t many bowlers who haven’t had bad days in T20. You learn from those experiences, and you try to implement that knowledge, knowing it won’t always go your way, even when you execute your skills as you want.

“You feel the pressure but it’s a privilege to feel that pressure. It doesn’t always work out but you know you have given 100 per cent. You try not to put too much pressure on yourself. I’m in Sri Lanka and my whole family is going to be here. I want to put in a performance for them more than anything else. So, you work your nuts off to prepare as best you can and what happens, happens.”

Sri Lanka v Ireland

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