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Cricket Ireland President Robin Walsh was in Sylhet on St. Patrick’s Day to witness another famous victory for Ireland, but as he reports it was certainly a lot closer than anyone would have liked.
SYLHET: TUESDAY MARCH 18

It may have been St Patrick’s night and a hugely significant victory achieved over Zimbabwe, yet there was barely the semblance of a celebration.

There was no concealing the smiling faces in the Ireland dressing room of the quite excellent International Stadium. But the realisation that there is still much work to be done to ensure progress in this ICC World T20 was uppermost in everyone’s mind: there was the mandatory post victory rendition of “Ireland’s Call” but then it was straight off to the hotel for the quietest of St Pat’s nights.

The evening was spent nursing the very odd beer or soft drink in front of the large screen beaming out The Netherlands’ victory over the UAE from the stadium which only a matter of an hour or two earlier had staged the three wicket win over Zimbabwe.

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Today it’s been play it by ear. In Dubai and now Bangladesh there’s been plenty of cricket in recent weeks and practice has been optional on this rest day: some put the pads on or arm over, others relaxed before another big day. Two more games remain – UAE tomorrow under lights, The Netherlands on Friday. Victory in both would ensure the only 100 per cent record in this preliminary group and thus passage to the shoot outs with the eight main Test nations. Defeat in one of them will probably have it go to run rate. Every over – ball? – will be crucial.

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They don’t come any more widely travelled than Warren Deutrom as you expect from a man who once organised global tournaments for the ICC and now sits at the organisation‘s top table as chief executive of Cricket Ireland. But, alas, business commitments back home will force him to miss to-morrow’s game; while battle is joined with the UAE he will be on the long journey that will take him from Sylhet to Dhaka to the UAE to Dublin. There was an alternative that would have included a five and a half hour night drive from Sylhet to Dhaka immediately after the game. Problem: the road is recognised as one of the most dangerous in the world, particularly in darkness. Common sense prevailed.

Richard Done, Robin Walsh and Warren Deutrom pictured with Phil Simmons and Roy Torrens

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Meanwhile the women’s team is tuning up for the start of their tournament which will get under way in earnest here in Sylhet early next week. Before that warm-up games against Sri Lanka and India will kick in on Thursday and Friday in Dhaka. And already Isobel Joyce and her team mates are making themselves seriously popular with the locals. It’s not gone unnoticed in the papers here that the skipper has gone out of her way to emphasise the thrill of playing a world cup in a country where cricket is so enthusiastically enjoyed by millions.

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The man who owns the Rose View Hotel which is home to Ireland, The Netherlands and Zimbabwe in Sylhet is some character. Moin Uddin emigrated to England with his family as a 14 year-old back in the 1980s and now flits between the two countries every six weeks. Not surprising when you consider his business interests He heads up a family chain of seven restaurants in the Thames Valley area of London while back here his interests include a bakery which employs 300 people. And turns out 10 tons of biscuits every day. They’re rather nice.

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Talking of food CI’s somewhat energetic media man, Barry Chambers, fought his way through crowded streets on what might be described as a shopping expedition. Back he came with half a dozen litres of soft drinks, eight bars of chocolate, three tubes of Pringles, two containers of Tic Tacs and a whack of grilled chicken and chips. The cost ran into four figures – 1,000 local taka. Or put another way – £8.50!

Robin Walsh
William Porterfield congratulated by the President © Barry Chambers
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