da 888casino： Stephen Fleming has said that tinkering with the starting XI would be kept to a minimum
Dileep Premachandran in Guyana08-Apr-2007
Fleming: ‘This is a very skilled side, and I don’t think we have trained in other Cups better than this’ © Getty Images
You can’t be too harsh on a side where most of the players don’t play at alevel higher than Irish club cricket, but for Trent Johnston, theAustralian-born captain, making up the numbers is certainly not goodenough. “It would be great if we can find the kind of performance we putin against Pakistan,” he said on the eve of the match against New Zealand.”We have sort of disappointed since then.”Since the St Patrick’s Day defeat of Pakistan, Ireland have never quitescaled the heights, going down meekly to West Indies before England andSouth Africa ground out fairly comfortable victories. Realistically, theaim was always not to finish bottom of the Super Eights, but afterBangladesh’s shock victory over South Africa on Saturday, even thatpossibility is looking remote.Bangladesh constructed their innings superbly, and then choked SouthAfrica with spin on a slow pitch, and Johnston admitted that theperformance had been a real eye-opener. “We watched the match andBangladesh performed fantastically well,” he said. “Their three spinnersare crucial to their plans and set up the win. It’s probably one area[playing spin] that we need to work hard on in the middle overs.”Ireland’s preparations for the game have been affected by a hamstringinjury to Andrè Botha, though Kevin O’Brien is certain to return aftermissing the South Africa match. New Zealand too have selection woes, withMichael Mason and Ross Taylor missing out, but the return of MarkGillespie should maintain the strength of a bowling attack that has beentremendous so far in the competition.Consistency, both on the field and in team selection, is paramount as faras Stephen Fleming is concerned. Wins in the four remaining Super-Eightsmatches will give Fleming 100 victories as one-day captain, and hereckoned that the side he currently led was more accomplished than itspredecessors.”I have been involved in World Cups where we chopped and changed a littlebit too much,” he said. “If you have 12 guys are in form and doing well,then keep them. This is a very skilled side, and I don’t think we havetrained in other Cups better than this.”We’ve come here with a fair of idea of what’s needed, we’re veryconfident and playing well but we’re also realistic as to how well we needto play. The hardest part of the job and the toughest week is coming up,with Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia.”Fleming first captained New Zealand 10 years ago in a six-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka, and though his win-loss record is an unimpressive 96-103, mostregard him as one on the game’s most astute leaders. Certainly, few canboast of 11 one-day wins against Australia.The challenge on Monday though is against a team that they know verylittle of, aside from video footage. Having thrashed West Indies andhammered Bangladesh, John Bracewell, New Zealand’s coach, insists thatthere won’t be any danger of complacency.”We take Ireland as serious as any team we have been playing,” he said, nodoubt aware that a low-intensity approach cost South Africa dearly againstBangladesh. “We have had people watching their games, we have videos, andrespect is a very key component of how we’re going in this tournament. Wemust respect the opposition and conditions.”In Shane Bond, New Zealand have the tournament’s outstanding fast bowler,and unlike South Africa, they won’t pay the price for not playing aspinner. Daniel Vettori is about as good as they get, but Johnston stillisn’t too pessimistic ahead of another game that most expect Ireland tolose.”It [the Bangladesh win] has given us probably some motivation to competewith these bigger teams,” he said. “We would like to finish seventh ratherthan eighth but for that we have to work hard.”Hard work and motivation alone won’t be enough though, not against a teamthat’s unbeaten in eight matches and looking the most likely to halt theawesome Australian juggernaut.