CRICKET:POLICE IN Bangalore are confident of returning the six bats belonging to Niall O'Brien after they went missing in the aftermath of Sunday night's five-wicket loss to India at the Chinnaswamy stadium.
The left-hander reported the Gray-Nicolls bats missing yesterday morning after they failed to arrive back in the team hotel with the rest of the side’s playing equipment following the World Cup Group B encounter.
O’Brien travelled to the stadium yesterday before the team departed for Chandigarh but, after nothing turned up, he made a report to the local police.
“The case is being investigated and we hope to trace the bag soon,” said a Bangalore police spokesman.
Like hurlers and golfers, cricketers become very attached to their weapon of choice and O’Brien had been using his present bat for the last eight months, making 46 with it against India on Sunday.
“No two bats are the same and you do take a preference for a certain one,” said O’Brien yesterday.
Indeed, while in Dubai at a World Cup training camp, O’Brien had the top of the blades of his bats pared back to accommodate a new, lower grip on the handle.
Luckily for O’Brien he’s in the right country if his bats fail to turn up, as Gray-Nicolls, who sponsor him, have a bat-making operation nearby in Jalandhar.
The Ireland squad touched down in Chandigarh at tea-time yesterday after a four-hour flight north from Bangalore.
Nestled at the foothills of the Himalayas, the players will be relieved to escape the heat of the south, while the fact Chandigarh has the lowest level of air pollution for a city of its size in India is also a bonus.
One player who will be glad of a breather is all-rounder Trent Johnston, who is doubtful for Friday’s clash against West Indies after picking up a knee injury in the clash against India.
The former captain put in an inspired opening spell against the hosts as Ireland set out to defend a low total of 207, silencing the sell-out 40,000 crowd with the key wicket of Virender Sehwag with his first ball after the big-hitter had made just five.
He also accounted for Gautam Gambhir in the sixth over to leave India on 24 for two. But the Railway Union player took a bad fall bowling his fifth over when his left foot landed awkwardly in a loose foothold, sending his right knee crashing into the hard wicket.
Johnston completed the over but left the field shortly afterwards before going to a local hospital for a scan. A fracture or ligament damage were ruled out, but Ireland physio Kieran O’Reilly is cautious over his chances of making Friday’s clash at Mohali.
“He has a contusion of his right patella, bone bruising of the knee cap effectively,” O’Reilly said.
“It’s immobilised in a brace at the moment and he’s on anti-inflammatories and painkillers. The West Indies game is a doubt at the moment but we’ll make a decision on that closer to Friday.”
O’Reilly had better news in connection with Andre Botha, who picked up a groin strain in the warm-ups before the stunning victory over England.
“He’s very good, we’ll reassess him tomorrow, so we’d be very hopeful for him.”
Ireland have opted to train today, while the West Indies take the day off following their journey from Dhaka, where they annihilated Bangladesh by nine wickets after bowling out the Tigers for just 58.
Next up . . . .
Ireland's remaining Group B games
(all times Irish)
Friday, March 11th: v West Indies, Mohali, Chandigarh (day), 4am – live on Sky Sports 1 from 3.45am (on red button from 8.30am).
Tuesday, March 15th: v South Africa, Calcutta (day/night), 9am – live on Sky Sports 1 from 8.30am.
Friday, March 18th: v Netherlands, Calcutta (day), 4am – live on Sky Sports 1 from 3.45am.
The top four teams from each group qualify for the quarter-finals. In the event of teams finishing on equal points in the group, the team with the most wins will be placed in the higher position. If needed, the further criteria to decide who places higher are: the team with the higher run rate; the team with the higher number of wickets taken per balls bowled; the team which was the winner of the head-to-head match played between them.
In the highly unlikely event that teams cannot be separated by the above this will be done by drawing lots.
