Greetings  from Guyana!

There is definitely a real buzz around the place now and people are really keen for the tournament to kick off...

Looking back to the ODI against the West Indies we were probably about 20 to 30 runs short of where we needed to be. We were aiming for about 250-260 but it was a competitive total and the boys bowled really well. We went off the rails a little bit because the ball got wet after the rain break but Sarwan played a great innings and he got good support down the lower order from the likes of Deonarine.  It was a little bit disappointing to lose again but it was a good performance and a step up from the previous week so we were happy enough in that regard.

Then we had the two Twenty20 games against the West Indies at Sabina. We nearly chased down 170 odd runs on the Saturday and then followed up on Sunday with a decent performance losing by 16 runs in a 15-over game.

So we lost the games by 18 and 16 runs. It was a little bit disappointing to lose again but we're closing the gap on the West Indies.  Personally I'm really happy with my own form - getting 49 in the ODI and then 63 in the first Twenty20 against the West Indies - I'm really pleased with that. And as a team overall we're really happy with the progress that we're making.

My brother Kevin has had a rough time over the last few months so it was great to see him get a 50 in the ODI. He played really well. After the qualifiers in February he spent 10-12 valuable days in Dubai working on his game and having spoken to him on numerous occasions I think he found that very beneficial.

He's hitting the ball very well at the moment which is very pleasing for us, knowing that in the top order we have a quality player like Kevin coming in at 4 or 5 who is capable of clearing the ropes at a ground like Sabina Park, followed by Trent who has got back to his six-hitting ways!

In Trinidad we were in Phil Simmons home town and we were looked after really well. Everybody was bending over backwards to help us out. Conditions were fabulous for training.

We had two very different games of cricket against Trinidad - in the first one they gave us a real hammering and then we gave them a real hammering. It was pleasing to finishing off the tour and come to Guyana with that excellent win under our belt on Friday evening. All the bowlers bowled brilliantly. Dockrell opened the bowling and did really well as did all our bowlers. Then Paul Stirling went out and played a beautiful knock and the skipper got to spend some time in the middle. It was a great finish to that leg of the tour.

Injury wise Alex Cusack has a shin problem. He's had this in the past so I'm not sure if it's a recurrence of an old problem or something new. He was feeling a lot better yesterday running around the outfield. So hopefully he'll be able to play today and be in the running for the first World Cup game against the West Indies.

The first game back didn't go too well for Boyd going for a few but in the second game he bowled brilliantly. I was standing 20-23 yards back and the ball was hitting the gloves very hard. It's great to see the big fella back bowling really well. He's a vital part of our team and when he's firing he's capable of taking wickets at any level especially in the T20 format. We're very hopeful he's going to be firing on all cylinders. It's going to be interesting because now with Trent Johnston and Peter Connell we've actually got 3 quick bowlers bowling really well, ready to go.

Paul Stirling has been playing some great cricket. His bowling has a surprise element - not many people know much about his bowling but he has been batting brilliantly all trip. He has just got to keep his head down and keep focussing because he's a very confident lad. I believe he could be as good as if not better than anyone who has come out of Ireland. He has certainly shown some great promise here and we're hopeful that he and William can get us off to a good start with the opening partnership and myself in the middle order can carry it on and finish the games off.

On a personal note I have a recurrence of an injury I've had since Dubai in February when I broke a finger. It was broken all through the qualifiers and still is broken in fact. It's causing me a little bit of pain. But it's just a case of getting it strapped up and as right as it can be. It won't keep me out of the game.

I've been keeping an eye on things back home and it was great to see Kenny Carroll scoring a ton in Railway's win at Clontarf at the weekend (as well as 90 odd in a pre-season friendly). Kenny has been one of my best friends for a long time, since we were little kids. He's a current inter-provincial hockey player as well so he's on top of the world at the moment. Hopefully if he keeps up that form there might be a path back into the Irish team for him. He's definitely a very talented batsman, a clean hitter of the ball and an exceptional fielder.

Great to see him doing well and also Railway getting off to such a good start. I think they are going to have a good season this year. Two very good guys in Graham McDonnell and Paddy Conliffe joining and with Kevin and Trent going back to join them they'll be tough to beat.

Back in Guyana, overall the boys are doing well. It's been good that we've been moving around from Jamaica, to Trinidad to here in Guyana. Different places, facilities, people - that has kept things fresh. Here, we're staying in an hotel owned by an Irishman so we're being well looked after. We're all eagerly anticipating the massive matches on Friday and next week.

Talk to you soon. Niall.

     Niall O'Brien in conversation with Liam Rooney


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