Friday, April 13, 2007

Ireland set for Aussie onslaught

World Cup Super 8, Barbados:
Australia v Ireland

Match starts Friday 1430 BST

Adrian Birrell
Birrell hands over to Phil Simmons after the tournament

Ireland coach Adrian Birrell said his team was "under no illusions" as to what awaited them ahead of the Super 8 clash with Australia on Friday.

Australia have won their last 23 World Cup matches and another win would secure their place in the last four.

Birrell said: "Australia will try to annihilate us. This is the toughest game in the history of Irish cricket.

"I've told the boys to just go out and enjoy the day, it's a great honor and privilege to play Australia."

Ireland are bottom of the Super 8 table with no points and no chance of qualifying for the semi-finals, but Birrell said he was happy just to still be in the Caribbean.

"The boys have given me the biggest present ever by qualifying for the Super 8s," he said.

"There's a great deal of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment now after the hard work of five years.

It's a special side to be part of and it's never meant to be an easy thing to play for Australia
Matthew Hayden

"I'll tell the players to be selfish and put up good individual performances against Australia, which will be great for them."

The game will be particularly poignant for Ireland skipper Trent Johnston, opener Jeremy Bray and paceman Dave Langford-Smith, who were all born and raised in Australia.

Meanwhile, Aussie Paceman Shaun Tait insists Australia will be taking Ireland "as seriously as any other side".

"If we relax in any of these games and then come up against a big side we might get done."

Another Australian determined to maintain the intensity is opener Matthew Hayden, who celebrated his return to the team by becoming the fastest man to reach 1,000 one-day runs in a year.

Hayden, who is the top run-scorer in the competition, is now targeting Sachin Tendulkar's feat of 1,894 runs in a year, set in 1998.

"I've had a lot of commitment and passion to get back into the side," he said.

"To represent Australia at the World Cup is an enormous privilege and honour. It's a special side to be part of and it's never meant to be an easy thing to play for Australia."

Australia may push Michael Hussey and Andrew Symonds higher up the batting order at the Kensington Oval.

Symonds has scored 59 in three innings so far while Hussey has managed just 35 runs scored in six innings.

And despite Australia's impressive form in the Caribbean, skipper Ricky Ponting said he was still not happy with the team's performance.

"We'd like to think that we are nowhere near playing our best cricket just yet," said Ponting.

"I've been happy with what we have done so far and I'm not surprised at all by what we've done.

"Until it gets to the stage where they are surprising themselves or surprising me then they haven't succeeded."


Australia (from): Ricky Ponting (captain), Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Michael Hussey, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Shaun Tait, Glenn McGrath, Brad Hodge, Mitchell Johnson, Brad Haddin, Stuart Clark.

Ireland (from): Trent Johnston (captain), Jeremy Bray, William Porterfield, Eoin Morgan, Niall O'Brien, Andre Botha, Kevin O'Brien, Andrew White, Kyle McCallan, Dave Langford-Smith, Boyd Rankin, Kenneth Carroll, Peter Gillespie, John Mooney, Paul Mooney.

Umpires: Billy Bowden, New Zealand, and Rudi Koertzen, South Africa.

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