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Former England captain Paul Collingwood has been speaking to the ICC about his coaching role with Scotland and the strength of Ireland and other associate teams ahead of the Cricket World Cup.
Collingwood, who is currently part of the Scotland coaching team, was speaking in an online column on the ICC website and noted how much the game has developed outside of the test playing nations in recent years. He spoke of Ireland’s strength of character and willingness to fight and stay in games when other associates would roll over. An attribute he is trying to instil in Scotland’s players.

When speaking about the chances of the associate teams at the World Cup he said of Ireland;

“They’re always a well-drilled unit and a lot of their players have got county experience so you know they are going to cause teams problems.”

The praise for Ireland’s players was paired with a message highlighting the importance of putting in strong performances at major events like the World Cup, claiming it is an “opportunity to get on the map” and help develop the next generation of players for all associate members.

With participation in Ireland increasing year on year the World Cup will help to show youngsters in Ireland the level they can reach if they make it to representing the country, and seeing an Irish team performing in a World Cup could help boost numbers in schoolboy and schoolgirl cricket.

One thing Collingwood has experience of is the famous Irish support, having played in Ireland and also being part of the England team that lost to Ireland in the 2011 World Cup, and he is quick to point out that “they’ve always got the whole country behind them” making it that much harder to get a result.

Those fans will be out in force again during the World Cup, and at Malahide in May when 10,000 fans will pack into the stands to see Ireland take on England.

Collingwood’s Scotland team will be playing Ireland twice in the next three weeks as part of a tri-series with Afghanistan held in the United Arab Emirates. The teams will play one daytime and one day/night match against each other as part of their final preparations for the World Cup.

Paul Collingwood was writing for the ICC website and his full column can be seen here.

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