Post by Waverley on Mar 6, 2011 0:04:45 GMT 1
I thought it was the 1st of April when the news came up on the screen that Ireland had beaten England at cricket. Unbelievable. ;D
After being inundated by messages of congratulation and called by the President of Ireland, Kevin O'Brien has warned India he is ready to get back to what he does best: hitting sixes.
O'Brien became one of the stars of the World Cup by scoring the fastest hundred in the tournament's history and leading his side to a historic win over England in Bangalore.
O'Brien's 63-ball 113 contained 13 fours and six maximums as he flayed England's big-name attack to all parts in pursuit of a massive winning target of 328.
He has understandably been besieged by well-wishers, including Irish premier Mary McAleese, in the aftermath but is now preparing to attempt more fireworks against the World Cup favourites and co-hosts on Sunday.
"There's been a fair bit of interest on Facebook, a few messages of support and well over 100 texts," said O'Brien.
"It's been very pleasing to have that backing and it's great to hear the Irish cricketing public are going mad back home.
"The President rang our tour manager yesterday and I spoke to her for a couple of minutes. It's always nice to a get a call from the president of your country but I'm still focused on this tournament, starting with India.
"It's a difficult game but one I'm really looking forward to. It's not every day you play in front of 50,000 screaming fans and it's no pressure at all.
"It's always great to see supporters and it won't effect the way I play. I'll be looking to get myself in on what is a pretty flat wicket and if the ball is there to hit then I'm going to back myself to hit it.
"Phil Simmons is quite a relaxed coach when it comes to my game, he just tells me to get in and once I'm in to really attack.
"It doesn't matter if I take 30 balls to score five or 10 runs because if I face another 70 I know I can make a hundred."
Team-mate Trent Johnston, a former Ireland skipper, says there is no guarantee O'Brien's high-risk method will pay off again this weekend but believes he has already done enough to earn his place in Irish sporting folklore.
"His 113 should be up there with Ray Houghton's header against England in Stuttgart, and the only problem might be that he has to keep his hair the same colour (blond and pink) for people to recognise him," Johnston wrote in his tournament blog.
"One outcome of this achievement should be that Kevin O'Brien never has to buy another pint in Dublin.
"He bats in a way that feels natural to him, and it involves taking risks. That's the joy of having him in your team.
"Against India he might smash his first ball up in the air and get caught - but that's the way he plays."
After being inundated by messages of congratulation and called by the President of Ireland, Kevin O'Brien has warned India he is ready to get back to what he does best: hitting sixes.
O'Brien became one of the stars of the World Cup by scoring the fastest hundred in the tournament's history and leading his side to a historic win over England in Bangalore.
O'Brien's 63-ball 113 contained 13 fours and six maximums as he flayed England's big-name attack to all parts in pursuit of a massive winning target of 328.
He has understandably been besieged by well-wishers, including Irish premier Mary McAleese, in the aftermath but is now preparing to attempt more fireworks against the World Cup favourites and co-hosts on Sunday.
"There's been a fair bit of interest on Facebook, a few messages of support and well over 100 texts," said O'Brien.
"It's been very pleasing to have that backing and it's great to hear the Irish cricketing public are going mad back home.
"The President rang our tour manager yesterday and I spoke to her for a couple of minutes. It's always nice to a get a call from the president of your country but I'm still focused on this tournament, starting with India.
"It's a difficult game but one I'm really looking forward to. It's not every day you play in front of 50,000 screaming fans and it's no pressure at all.
"It's always great to see supporters and it won't effect the way I play. I'll be looking to get myself in on what is a pretty flat wicket and if the ball is there to hit then I'm going to back myself to hit it.
"Phil Simmons is quite a relaxed coach when it comes to my game, he just tells me to get in and once I'm in to really attack.
"It doesn't matter if I take 30 balls to score five or 10 runs because if I face another 70 I know I can make a hundred."
Team-mate Trent Johnston, a former Ireland skipper, says there is no guarantee O'Brien's high-risk method will pay off again this weekend but believes he has already done enough to earn his place in Irish sporting folklore.
"His 113 should be up there with Ray Houghton's header against England in Stuttgart, and the only problem might be that he has to keep his hair the same colour (blond and pink) for people to recognise him," Johnston wrote in his tournament blog.
"One outcome of this achievement should be that Kevin O'Brien never has to buy another pint in Dublin.
"He bats in a way that feels natural to him, and it involves taking risks. That's the joy of having him in your team.
"Against India he might smash his first ball up in the air and get caught - but that's the way he plays."