Red carpet welcome for Ireland in Zimbabwe

[zimfan1]

It wasn’t quite a heroes’ welcome but the Ireland squad received the full red-carpet treatment on their arrival in Harare yesterday at the start of their controversial two-week tour of Zimbabwe.

The first non-Asian cricket team to visit the country for five years, Ireland were met at the airport by a six-man delegation from Zimbabwe Cricket, as well as the local press and a photographer, not to mention the sole representative of the Irish counsel based in the country.

A police escort then took the team coach and their luggage to the five-star Rainbow Towers Hotel, a 15-minute ride away in the centre of the capital, but it is a hotel behind a security barrier and well away from the main street.

The 14-man playing squad, none of whom have ever been in the country before, never mind played here, will get their first glimpse of the Harare Sports Club, their venue for all four matches, today when they have a training/practice session ahead of the Intercontinental Cup game against Zimbabwe A, starting tomorrow.

The game is Ireland’s penultimate hope of reaching a fourth successive final. On the field they must pick up a maximum 20 points (victory after a first innings lead) and then hope that ICC declares the Zimbabwean’s game against Scotland either null and void or order the game to be played in a neutral country.

Scotland pulled out of next month’s scheduled game here after taking advice from the UK government but with the Irish Government happy for sporting sides to tour Zimbabwe while a Unity government is in power, Cricket Ireland gave the go-ahead for the trip.

The moral question was raised by the local correspondent at the airport but William Porterfield, back as captain and commenting on the tour for the first time following the completion of Gloucestershire’s county season, played it with a straight bat.

“The players didn’t have to think too much about it. If our own government is saying it is safe to come here, then we are happy, said Porterfield.

“From a cricketing point of view we want to play against the top countries and Zimbabwe has played Test cricket, a lot of ODIs and they have a strong, settled side (they beat India and Sri Lanka here in June). So it’s about coming and testing ourselves against those players in their own back-yard and if we can clean-sweep the one-day series it will move us up another place in the rankings. So it wasn’t a difficult decision.

Porterfield also admitted he was looking forward to opening the batting again with Paul Stirling after the latter’s record-breaking innings of 177 against Canada at the start of the month.

“Hopefully we can both get off to a good start next time and if we are both going well it could be a pretty exciting time for ourselves. Obviously, I didn’t see the innings in Toronto but it was phenomenal effort by Stirlo and to get 177 in any match is special, so I’m looking forward to getting out there again with him,” said the skipper.

http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ ... 4885.shtml

[Flower power]

I heard the Irish dont want to go back home after tasting juicy Zim steaks . Last it was the same with the Afghan team that came to Mutare that ckept wanting more of the chicken that they had been served .
At least the food here is not GM modified .

[maehara]

I heard the Irish dont want to go back home after tasting juicy Zim steaks .

I can fully understand that sentiment.