The Irish cricket team invaded Bourda just after 10 am yesterday for their first training/practice session on local soil before clashing with England on Friday at Providence and though there were light showers they made the most of it.
They stretched, had a rigorous workout, played a vibrant game of rugby and even joked around before wrapping up the session just before midday. They appeared to be right at home at Bourda.
“Is this how the weather usually is around this time?” Captain Trent Johnson asked us. Though genuinely concerned about the local weather he smiled a minute later and said Guyana is beautiful.
Johnson is an imposing figure, like most of his team, and it seemed he hardly goes without smiling. For the most part, he was friendly and spoke openly. Though no other Irish cricketer was interviewed the guys did not leave the ground without saying a loud hello to us and good-byes before leaving with their police outriders.
Many of the players are not known but some have been lurking on the edge of stardom for a long time now. A few have played several games in the past and in two instances, country cricket in England. Johnson, who revealed that he is Australian by birth, has played seven One Day Internationals prior to the World Cup. He has been leading the team for the last two years and has been in Ireland for about four years.
Ireland is a debutant team in the World Cup but has had a fairytale entry so far. Earlier in the tournament the team impressed with zealous performances and the men were just as fired up when the West Indies handed them a stinging defeat.
“We have been disciplined so far and the guys are giving me 100 percent which is what I keep asking for. Not many people thought we would have reached this far but he have. We are here and we are going to continue playing our game,” Johnson said.
How are they preparing for England? He said England is a competitive team and they are looking forward to the match and the strategy has always been to give 100 percent. According to him, Ireland is going to give England a fight, and the game on Friday should be exciting.
Johnson is a right-arm fast bowler and has been a key player in the Irish team. His mentoring skills come highly rated on and off the field. He admitted that cricket comes second to several other sports in Ireland but given the team’s success so far people back home have caught on quickly and are following with rapt attention.
“People are excited and we have had fans that followed us to the Caribbean for the first set of matches. They did not consider we would be playing in this stage so many of them are not in Guyana but they will pick up the game later on in the other countries,” Johnson said.
His first impression of Guyana was that it is a wet country but he has fallen in love with what he has seen so far. Johnson said the place is beautiful and that he is enjoying the food. He has had roti and curry, lots of curry, since his arrival which he has quite enjoyed.
Ireland is hoping to keep the magic alive in the Super Eight round which starts today in Antigua. Johnson and several of the other players, such as all-rounder Kyle McCallan will lead the Irish attack. Even if that magic runs out in this stage of the game team has thoroughly enjoyed its World Cup moments.
“We have enjoyed it all right and looking to stay around a bit longer,” Johnson said, flashing that trademark smile.
The mood over Le Meriden could be described as cold when one considers the weather. With rain pouring outside there was not much the players could do and most of the were apparently cooped up in their rooms as not many were seen in the lobby or at the poolside.
Stabroek News caught up with three English players but unlike their Irish colleagues they said they could not speak to the press if no permission were granted by their media manager, who was not around.
However, they did say that they had not seen much of Georgetown, since it had been raining continuously. They also said that they were unable to practice. Their batting and bowling star, Andrew Flintoff, seemed to be well over the St Lucia embarrassment where he was stripped of the vice-captaincy and dropped for the game against Canada after he and a few of the other boys went out drinking. He was walking tall and even stopped to take a picture.
Security arrangements were very tight at the hotel with visible police presence around the lobby area. Persons entering the elevator were being asked to show their room keys to a security officer stationed right outside the elevator. There is also a sign instructing that only guests can go beyond that point. Local media operatives were questioned and had to be granted permission to sit in the lobby area to have a few words with players.
Stabroek News caught up with a female tourist who said while she was not really into the game, she wants England to win. She is travelling with a group of people and just wants to enjoy the “island hopping”. She was very optimistic that it would stop raining and there would be cricket and she would be afforded the opportunity to see Guyana, a country she already finds “beautiful” even though she has not seen a lot.
There was no sign of any of the South African team members. They were unable to practice at Everest Ground which was waterlogged yesterday. Stabroek News observed ground staff attempting to get the water out, while another staff member was seen applying green paint to the bridge that leads into the ground.
The damp weather seems to have taken some of the excitement out of Guyanese as many lamented the fact that it always rains whenever there is cricket even though quite a few were optimistic that the games would go on. Yesterday, tourists on the streets were almost non-existent but this could also be due to the fact that it was raining or maybe many have not arrived as yet. Countless volunteers in their bright yellow jerseys were seen walking down the streets of Georgetown but there was not much for them to do.
