Dear Boyd,
I hope the recuperation back to match fitness is coming along well. Making the World Cup squad was a no brainer once the foot injury cleared up. But making a World Cup is a great achievement and should never be undervalued particularly when the ICC prejudice full ICC membership over performance.
Ireland by virtue of making the last eight in the previous competition should have qualified based on performance. Australia and Zimbabwe should have been forced to qualify. If we use the ICC logic that limited over cricket bears little resemblance to Test level, how does full membership equate to performance at T20 level? But I digress.
Peter Connell and Trent Johnston put in an heroic effort at the T20 World Cup qualifier in the Emirates concealing your absence, and their combined effort of 45.3 over's bowled, conceding 271 runs and taking 21 wickets goes a long way to showing the reason Ireland qualified despite losing the first game of the tournament.
Although averages are not as important as run rate in this slap bang thank you ma'am form of the game Ireland's new ball pair returned an average of 12.9 and a run rate below a run a ball, pretty impressive. Indeed impressive enough that anything less than a 100% return to fitness and form and Phil will be able to consider another option.
Admittedly this was against the best in associate cricket, playing our near neighbours and West Indies in the West Indies in a form of the game in which they have adapted pretty well to is a totally different prospect. If we are going to win our group, (yes I did say win our group) we are going to need our big man at his very best.
No nation appreciates the damage a genuine hostile tall fast bowler can do, oh how West Indies supporters must ache for a bowler the calibre of 'Big Bird' Joel Garner or Curtly Ambrose. These two would grace any all time world team let alone an all time West Indies side. Only Malcolm Marshall 20.94 has a better Windies test bowling average than these two and that by a meagre 0.03 percent, Garner 20.97, Ambrose 20.99.
I said no nation appreciates the damage a tall fast bowler can do maybe there is one exception.
Geoff Miller is England's Chief Selector. He played four tests against the West Indies, three of these sides featured Joel Garner. The results don't make pretty reading, losses by an Innings and 22, innings and 180 runs, and 9 wickets.
I think it's safe to assume Miller is well aware of the impact a quality tall fast bowler can have and the variations caused by height, angle and bounce. When Garner developed a deadly yorker he became an even more formidable opponent in limited over cricket as his 5/39 performance against England in the 1979 World Cup final will attest.
Miller, is where the buck stops in English Cricket selection. As such his influence on your selection to the ECB's performance program during the winter cannot be questioned. For Ireland of course this meant bad news - already deprived of its two best batting talents England now look to poach our most threatening new ball option.
When Ed Joyce left to throw in his hand with England the climate was very different for Irish cricket and while no one can blame Ed for chasing a dream of playing Test cricket, his England career to date, despite making an ODI hundred against Australia in Sydney, can be viewed as disappointing to say the least.
Eoin Morgan has made a meteoric start to his England career but has already been labeled one-day wonder not suited to the demands of the 5-day game. Time will tell.
Boyd, there is no doubting your talent and you have consistently stated the wish to test yourself at the highest level.
However when England come calling as they may well do this summer, make your decision knowing the fate of aforementioned Mr. Joyce, Irish cannon fodder and a scapegoat. Treatment he did not deserve, his near four year England adventure has cost him more than it has Ireland so far.
There is no doubt that an Ireland side containing Morgan, Joyce, McCallan and Rankin would cause serious trouble for both England and the West Indies in Guyana.
While Ireland have coped admirably with the loss of consistent run producers losing high quality bowling is harder to replace when facing the world's premier batsmen.
Looking at England since your debut for Ireland in ODI on Jan 31 2007 makes an interesting comparison.
The next England game was on Feb 2 2007, in Sydney the day Ed Joyce made a match winning 107 against Australia for England. That day the bowlers were Flintoff, Bopara, Plunkett, Panesar and Mahmood none of whom are regularly playing for England any longer. Indeed this winter alone between 7 Tests and 6 ODI's England have used 16 different bowlers. The turnover of bowlers representing England is staggering.
Contrast those bowlers on the Irish team on your debut. Trent, Andre, Kevin, Whitey, Kyle, (we have learned this week may become available again) - that would leave only Paul Mooney no longer available and sure hasn't brother John slipped in to keep the family representation going. Some difference.
Chasing the dream is great but sometimes one needs to stop, think, and ask the question am I already living the dream?
Boyd, study the treatment and experience of Ed Joyce. Ally that with the facts, the numbers don't lie. You are a big man; rugby has Brian O'Driscoll; football in the South had Roy Keane; Golf has Padraig; are you the man to step into those shoes for Irish Cricket?
Time to be a giant of Irish Cricket, time to say no to England.
Tell them Ireland deserves to play test cricket and you better bring you're A game because fee fi foo fum, I smell the fear of English batsmen.
Respectfully,
Rob Quin.
Ps,
Last month I wrote to Kyle McCallan expressing a wish that he reconsider his retirement decision.
Following Jon Coates story in the Irish Daily Mail that Kyle's retirement was partly based on his father's ill health, very happy to read of his father's recovery, I wish to extend best wishes.
Judging by the volume of positive feedback I received there is no doubting the affection for Ireland's record cap holder amongst the fan base. How exciting to read of a possible adding to that record number of caps.
Copyright: Cover Point
