CRICKET:For the third time in four matches in this ICC World Cricket League Division One, Ireland's bowlers let their team-mates down by showing themselves incapable of operating as a unit defending a huge total against a side they know they should be beating.
Having set 308 for 7 off 50 overs against Canada yesterday, thanks to a wonderful Eoin Morgan century, Ireland's bowlers were unable to put the ball in the right areas consistently enough to create pressure on Canada. They ended up losing in the final over - another thrilling finish and another devastating defeat.
It goes with the horror of losing in tight, high-scoring contests with Scotland and Kenya earlier in the tournament while just managing to overcome Bermuda.
It should be said that several Irish players were suffering from a stomach bug yesterday that undoubtedly had an impact but a lack of consistency with the ball is not a new problem for Adrian Birrell's team. To be fair, after the match Birrell was not looking for excuses.
"Obviously I'm very disappointed," said the national coach. "We just didn't bowl well enough to win.
"Everyone is finding it difficult to defend in this tournament but obviously 308 should be a winning total.
"Trent (Johnston) was not fit to bowl and that was a big setback but I'm not going to say that's why we lost the game because I was happy with the team we had on the field.
"Unfortunately, we're just not getting our bowling discipline up where it should be."
David Langford-Smith (1-40 off 10 overs) and Kevin O'Brien (1-36 off seven) were Ireland's best bowlers yesterday with the others all going for nearly seven an over or more.
The batting has not been the problem for Ireland during this tournament and again the top order fired. William Porterfield and Bray put on 66 for the first wicket and that brought Morgan to the crease.
The 20-year-old Dubliner has been threatening to take up the mantle from Ed Joyce in the Ireland set-up since that other Middlesex left-hander pledged his future with a foreign team and yesterday it was easy to see why Morgan has also been tipped for England honours in the future.
His 115 came off just 106 balls, a knock that included 10 fours and two sixes. It was Morgan's first ODI hundred - to go with a 99 he got against Scotland last year - and his second for Ireland overall.
The way he bats you would think the bowling was in slow motion despite the fact he was facing two of the sharpest and deadliest bowlers in the non-Test countries in Umar Bhatti and Henry Osinde, not to mention former West Indies Test bowler Anderson Cummins.
That said, it is not like they are relying on him too much. Morgan's century was the fifth by the Irish in their four games of the ICC World Cricket League so far and the average total is now 289 for every 50 overs played.
The fact they only have a 25 per cent record is down to the bowling, and particularly the bowling at the very start and the very end of the innings. If these second-tier cricketers can smash Ireland's seam bowlers around at will - and they can - then one shudders to think what the likes of West Indian Chris Gayle and Pakistan's Younis Khan will do to them during the ICC Cricket World Cup in March.
Meanwhile, Scotland booked their place in the ICC World Cricket League final by beating Kenya by 77 runs at Gymkhana and the Netherlands beat Bermuda at Ruaraka. Today, Ireland play the Dutch while Scotland take on Bermuda and Kenya play the Canadians.
IRELAND
W Porterfield c Codrington b Bhatti 21
J Bray c sub b Bhatti 35
E Morgan c Samad b Osinde 115
N O'Brien lbw b Codrington 0
K O'Brien st Mulla b Davison 52
T Johnston c sub b Osinde 44
K McCallan not out 5
D Langford-Smith lbw Cummins 0
J Mooney not out 8
Extras (1b, 4lb, 10nb, 13w) 28
Total (for 7, 50 overs) 308
Fall: 66, 71, 71, 223, 290, 294, 300 DNB: A Botha, A White
Bowling: Bhatti 10-1-35-2, Cummins 9-0-74-1, Osinde 7-0-53-2, Codrington 9-3-63-1, Davison 10-0-44-1, Dhaniram 5-0-34-0
CANADA
A Mulla c Bray b K O'Brien 10
A Samad run out 42
A Bagai b Botha 122
J Davison b Mooney 57
Qaiser Ali not out 60
D Chumney not out 8
Extras (1b, 3lb, 4w, 5nb) 13
Total (for 4, 49.4 overs) 312
Fall: 13, 97, 203, 260. DNB: S Dhaniram, U Bhatti, G Codrington, A Cummins, H Osinde
Bowling: Langford-Smith 10-1-40-0, K O'Brien 7-0-34-1, Botha 10-1-67-1, White 6.4-0-50-0, McCallan 8-0-55-0, Mooney 8-0-62-1
Canada won by 6 wickets
Man of the match: Ashish Bagai (Canada)
