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Preview from Crciketeurope
Trent Johnston is backing Lisburn leg spinner Greg Thompson to be a hit in this week’s three-match one-day international series against Bangladesh.
The Ireland captain, who claimed at the weekend that the current crop of players is stronger in depth than the 15 who represented their country at last year’s World Cup finals, said that Thompson’s performances in the UAE over the last two weeks prove he can play a big role in the heat of battle against Bangladesh. The series starts early tomorrow GMT.
“I think Thommo could do something special in these ODIs against Bangladesh because they’ll not be expecting a leg spinner.
“They all know what Kyle (McCallan) and Andre (Botha) can do (having seen them at the World Cup) but there is nothing more exciting in cricket than a leg spinner if he gets it right. And this isn’t a 19 year old we’ll be throwing to the wolves (or, indeed, this week, the Tigers).
“This is a player who has played in three Under 19 World Cups, he’s been around. He’s not overawed by the big stage and he can bowl that unplayable ball, maybe only once every two overs at this stage of his career, but he can bowl it,” enthused Johnston.
“He can also bat and is a good fielder. Greg got a game against Essex (in Ireland’s final one-day warm-up game) because of his performance against an Abu Dhabi Select, when he took three wickets.. He and Gary Kidd are probably neck and neck in bowling but Thommo has the edge in the field. It’s always about bringing that second and third discipline to the team.”
Paul Stirling, the other member of Ireland’s Under 19 World Cup team who has joined up with the senior squad, will almost certainly miss out on his first cap tomorrow but Johnston has no doubt he has a bright future, and he may not have long to wait.
“Stirlo has huge potential. I’d love to see him play one of the games this week but it’s going to be hard for him to fit in.
“The vice-captain (William Porterfield) is an opening batsman, and there’s a guy who has just scored 73 against Essex (Reinhard Strydom).You need Eoin Morgan to bat three and Niall (O‘Brien) four but they are all left handers and I feel they play their (three) left arm spinners better, so that’s what we have to think about. Should we hold one of them back and squeeze a right hander in at No 3,” said the captain who admits difficult decisions will have to be made when selecting the team tonight.
It will be eased if Dave Langford-Smith’s ankle injury fails to improve. He bowled only five overs (for 36) against Essex on Friday although Johnston was more concerned at him having to come off the field rather than his expensive analysis.
“David is more worried where’s he putting his front foot than where he’s putting the ball. But he can’t be bowling five overs in an ODI and then coming off. Still by Tuesday he will have had almost four days of rest - he hasn’t practised - and we’ll decide in the morning.”
If he doesn’t make it then Kevin O’Brien will share the new ball with Strabane’s Phil Eaglestone, who will be winning his first cap. If ‘Lanky’ does play then, to allow Thompson in as the second spinner, Strydom would have to be sacrificed at the top of the order with everyone moving up one in the batting line-up.
Hardly a huge burden as it will give Morgan, their best batsman - who left the UAE with an average of exactly 300 - the chance to bat all 50 overs. There is no better player at the moment who would relish the challenge.
These is no reason why this confident Ireland team cannot rise to it as well.