The bus up from Colombo to Kandy isn’t the worst trip in the world, but five hours on winding roads leaves even international cricketers a bit stiff. That showed in Ireland’s first net session on Monday, yet the general vibe was settled: beat Zimbabwe, stay alive, keep the dream moving.
“The wicket looks pretty good by all accounts,” Mark Adair said, eyeing the Pallekele surface. “Kandy’s probably the best cricket wicket in Sri Lanka, so I’m looking forward to it.” A simple enough assessment, said in that matter-of-fact way Adair tends to favour.
Key facts first. Ireland hammered Oman last time out, piling on the second-highest total ever recorded at a T20 World Cup. Lorcan Tucker’s stand-in captaincy was, in Adair’s words, “brilliant”, George Dockrell finished with a flourish and Josh Little’s 3-for added the bite. The win keeps an admittedly thin qualification path open: beat Zimbabwe, hope other results fall their way.
Yet Adair knows the perception battle runs parallel to the points table. “We get called an Associate every other day by someone,” he admitted. “We always feel like there’s a need to justify ourselves. I personally don’t think that’s the case, but some strong performances against big teams help. The last game showed us that we’ve got what it takes.”
So, where’s the next improvement? The bowling, according to the bowler himself. “The last game was a bit of a record-breaking one all around for us. It’s nice to see a few boys come in and really dominate… it’s probably down to the bowlers, if we’re honest, to try and kick on now and really try and cement a good win.” Little’s presence helps. Franchise cricket – and his IPL final cameo – has given the left-armer a certain calm. “I love having Josh in the team, I think he brings experience,” Adair continued. “Those big moments or the clutch moments, it’s always nice to have that little bit extra.”
Zimbabwe will not be surprised by any of this. The sides have met 16 times in T20 internationals, more than Ireland have played anyone bar Afghanistan. Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava head an attack Adair respects, perhaps more than many give credit. “I’ve played with Blessing and against them for a long time,” he pointed out. “They’re probably as good of a bowling lineup as you’ll find in this comp. We’ve played a lot against them. We’ve seen a lot of these guys. There should be no surprises for us.”
Lose tomorrow and Ireland are out; win, and the calculators stay in play for a few more days. Either way, the squad seems determined not to let outside labels define them. As Adair put it, “We get called an Associate every other day… I don’t think we need to justify ourselves.” A solid performance in Kandy would make that argument for him.
