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Excellent half centuries by Naumanullah and skipper Moin Khan guided
Karachi Whites to the National One-day Associations Cricket Tournament
title when they defeated Sheikhupura by 79 runs at the Qadhafi Stadium
on Sunday

Muhammad Yaqoob10-Dec-2011Excellent half centuries by Naumanullah and skipper Moin Khan guided
Karachi Whites to the National One-day Associations Cricket Tournament
title when they defeated Sheikhupura by 79 runs at the Qadhafi Stadium
on Sunday.Naumanullah shifted the gears at the right time to score a 96-ball 74
while a cameo innings of 67 from 63 balls by Moin propelled the
visitors to an imposing 278 for five from 50 overs.Sheikhupura never recovered from the double shock in the first eight
balls to finish at 199 – thanks to a face-saving 106 by Test reject
Qaisar Abbas.Moin, leading Karachi Whites in the absence of an injured Shadab
Kabir, received the trophy from the sponsors chief executive Mr Asad
and a cash prize of Rs75,000.Sheikhupura’s skipper Aqib Javed received the runners-up cash prize of
Rs40,000.Karachi Whites, electing to bat first, made a shaky start losing both
the openers, including key man Shahid Afridi and Zafar Jadoon, at the
total of 12.Naumanullah with Saeed bin Nasir, however, stabilised the innings when
they added 99 runs off 134 balls to lift the total to 111.The partnership ended when Saeed was bowled by leg-spinner Faisal Virk
after scoring 49. He hit four boundaries and faced 79 balls.Moin Khan, promoting himself to No 5, joined Naumanullah and featured
in three productive partnerships which helped his team reach a
challenging score.Moin and Nauman added 55 runs off 67 balls for the fourth wicket
before the latter was stumped by Kaleem Imran off leg-spinner Farrukh
Majeed for 74. Nauman’s innings was studded with seven boundaries.Moin Khan, then found another ally in Hasan Raza with whom he added 34
runs off 29 balls before Hasan departed, being stumped by Kaleem off
Farrukh Majeed, for 23.Moin and Arif Mahmood then held Sheikhupura bowlers by the scruff of
their necks with some exquisite hitting to plunder 76 runs off the
final 42 balls.Arif blasted five boundaries and a six in his undefeated 23-ball 43
while Moin played a typical innings during which he struck three
boundaries and two sixes.Sheikhupura were made to pay for packing their bowling attack with
spinners when none of them could contain the rampaging tourists.Chasing a big target, Sheikhupura innings revolved around Qaisar Abbas
who played a sensible knock at a time when wickets continued to fall
like nine-pins from the other end.It was such a shame that despite hitting a brilliant century, the
left-hander had to end up on the losing side.Qaisar slammed 10 fours off 134 balls. He reached his 50 off 71 balls
with five hits to the fence when completed his century by pulling
Adnan Malik to long-on for a boundary.The writing for Sheikhupura was on the wall after Imran Nazir
disappointed his team-mates to be bowled off the very first ball of
the innings by Tanvir Ahmad.Sheikhupura had hardly recovered from Imran’s demise when in the
following over, Mohammad Javed also perished. The dismissal of the
openers left Sheikhupura playing for pride than anything else.Moin not only marshalled his troops like a shrewd leader, continued to
inspire his boys in the field by holding three catches.But the real star of Karachi in the sweating afternoon was left-arm
spinner Adnan Malik who bowled to a teasing line and length to be
rewarded with three wickets for 48 runs.Pacemen Tanvir Ahmad and Imran Javed and off-spinner Tabish Nawab got
two wickets each for 23, 46 and 32 runs respectively.

Ashish Bagai’s memory isn’t as clear as it should be perhaps, though given
what happened when Canada last met Sri Lanka at a World Cup, he is not to
be blamed

Osman Samiuddin in Hambantota19-Feb-2011Ashish Bagai’s memory isn’t as clear as it should be perhaps, though given
what happened when Canada last met Sri Lanka at a World Cup, he is not to
be blamed. That game, in Paarl, South Africa in 2003, was over in just
over half a Twenty20 game: Canada’s 36 all out remains the lowest World
Cup total.A day ahead of – for want of a more appropriate word – their rematch at
Hambantota, he’s not too keen to remember the game. “I don’t have such
good memories of that. The one before that is still in my mind, but I
think I have forgotten the Sri Lanka game,” Canada’s captain said. The one
before was a loss to Kenya, so it is the one before he
remembers: the Austin Codrington-inspired 60-run win over Bangladesh.
“There are only two guys from that World Cup here, myself and John Davison
and we don’t talk about that game too much.”Canada have made some strides since then. There are central contracts in
place. They also have a clutch of Under-19 players in the side, homegrown
products and a “brand” of cricket they are keen to show off. It is bracing
talk. “We’ve got some very exciting youngsters coming through the Canadian
program for the first time. It’s important to show our brand of cricket
and home-grown cricketers, as opposed to the past where lots of guys from
India and Pakistan came in after playing in their domestic leagues and ‘A’
teams. We want to show what Canada has produced for the first time.”Prime among them is Nitish Kumar, all of 16 and with much hype around him.
No wonder his listed nickname is Tendulkar. From Bagai’s words, the hype
may not be unjustified. “He’s my favourite batsman to watch in the world.
I’ve never seen a talent like that and a lot of coaches in world cricket
say that about him. He’s so young but very exciting.”An eye will be kept on others, like the left-arm spinner Parth Desai or
Ruvindu Gunasekera, the left-handed top-order batsman who’s done well
domestically in Sri Lanka, the land of his birth. Something, over the
course of six matches, will surely come from Rizwan Cheema and the
godfather-grandfather John Davison.A little insider knowledge is also available. Canada’s head and assistant
coaches are Pubudu Dassanayake and Chandika Haturusingha, both former Sri
Lankan internationals. The latter only joined recently, but together, says
Bagai, the pair has been crucial. “Pubudu has been crucial for us,
especially in grooming youngsters to play at this level. Hatu is an
excellent man when it comes to technical ability. Both of them together
form a good group for us and both have very good knowledge of subcontinent
conditions. Most of our players are from subcontinent roots so they can
relate to them really well.”Talent, inside information, spirit and all these things will take you only
so far when you step out on to the field against co-hosts and favourites
in a World Cup. There is no reason to suspect Bagai – an impressive man –
doesn’t know that. But freedom from fear and pressure are great,
mood-changing stimulants. There is no pressure on Canada, none whatsoever
and Bagai knows that too.”In the warm-up game against England, there were nerves for the younger
guys because we’ve got five Under-19s players in the side,” he said. “We got
that out of the way. Now, tomorrow is about no pressure, nobody expects us
to win and we want to spin that positively and use it to our advantage.
Play freely, see young guys play their natural game and some
responsibility from the older guys.”Simple really, when put like that.

Middlesex CEO frustrated as club’s hopes of qualification take a hit in Group A

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2021A Covid-19 outbreak in the Gloucestershire squad has led to the cancellation of their Royal London Cup clash with Middlesex at Radlett on Sunday, after the visitors were forced to put all but one member of their playing staff into isolation.The news, which was confirmed by the ECB on Sunday evening, is the latest outbreak to impact the county schedule, following Kent’s fielding of a team of second XI and club players against Sussex in the County Championship last month, and the mid-match cancellation of Essex’s visit to Derbyshire, which effectively ended Essex’s hopes of defending their twin red-ball titles.The Gloucestershire outbreak was greeted with frustration by Middlesex’s chief executive, Andrew Cornish, given the impact that the shared points could have on his side’s hopes of reaching the knock-out stages of the Royal London Cup. Middlesex are currently seventh in Group A, with two wins from six.”Middlesex Cricket is extremely disappointed to hear of the cancellation of this fixture, which has a massive impact on our hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup,” Cornish said.”Whilst we have every sympathy with Gloucestershire’s situation, as we all endeavour to handle the impact of Covid on our playing groups, as a Club Middlesex have taken every possible step to mitigate any Covid risk to our players, and to hear that our opponents tomorrow are only able to field one player not in isolation is extremely disappointing.”In discussions with the ECB we have made every effort to get tomorrow’s game on, to no avail, and to have our campaign impacted in this way is saddening.”We will continue to discuss this situation with the ECB in the hope of a more satisfactory resolution for Middlesex Cricket.”In a statement, the ECB confirmed that Gloucestershire’s squad members would be required to self-isolate in accordance with the UK government’s existing test-and-trace protocols, and that under Playing Condition 16.11.4.5, Group A of the Royal London Cup will now be decided on an “average points per completed match” basis.Middlesex will be issuing refunds to all spectators who have pre-purchased tickets and paid for car parking to Sunday’s game.”Our thanks go to all Middlesex members and supporters who were due to attend the fixture who will sadly miss out on the opportunity to watch us in action,” Cornish added. “It’s a real shame that with so little cricket to enjoy this summer in person, you are now unable to do so tomorrow, in what promised to be a thrilling encounter.”

Bancroft, Jones see Durham home by 10 wickets in final over on third day

ECB Reporters' Network05-Jun-2021Worcestershire opener Jake Libby’s third century of the summer was unable to prevent Durham from triumphing by 10 wickets on day three of the LV=Insurance County Championship match at New Road.Libby struck 126 to take his run tally for the campaign to 776 – a figure only bettered by Durham batsman David Bedingham with 787. He received support throughout the day from the middle to lower order as Worcestershire totalled 336 all out after resuming on 99 for 3.But the home side were only able to set a modest 87 target and Cameron Bancroft (46 not out) and Michael Jones (34 not out) saw them home without being parted in the final over of the day.Related

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Durham’s third win keeps them in contention for a top-two spot when they resume Championship action in early July. They have a potent attack, even in the absence of England’s Mark Wood, spearheaded by Chris Rushworth, Brydon Carse and Ben Raine.But Matty Potts also stepped up to the mark in his second appearance of the campaign with match figures of 36.3-10-98-8.Worcestershire’s hopes ended with this third defeat in the last four games after drawing the first five fixtures. They were playing catch-up after being bowled out for 131 on the opening day thanks to a mixture of excellent bowling and poor shot selection before Bedingham and Michael Jones pressed home the advantage for Durham with the bat.Rushworth made the first breakthrough of the day when nightwatchman Josh Tongue was lbw for 15.Raine struck in his first over with Ross Whiteley on four driving at a delivery slanted across him and edging to Bancroft at first slip.Brett D’Oliveira, who had top-scored with an unbeaten 39 in Worcestershire’s first innings, looked in good form. He straight drove Potts for four and clipped Raine through mid-wicket for another boundary.Libby had a let-off on 75 when keeper Ned Eckersley failed to hold onto a chance off Rushworth. But otherwise he and D’Oliveira played with freedom and the century stand came up immediately after lunch from 147 balls.Carse bowled a testing post-lunch spell to Libby, who was caught at first slip off a no ball on 96. He went to his hundred – from 180 balls – with his 14th four.D’Oliveira, after making an accomplished 46, was bowled by Potts from a delivery which kept low to end a 106-run partnership with Libby.Libby struck three successive boundaries off Potts but his fine knock ended on 126 when he gave spinner Scott Borthwick the charge and was stumped. His 210-ball knock contained 18 fours.Cox made 26 before he was caught at second slip off Raine and captain Joe Leach, with 19, top-edged Potts and was caught behind.Ed Barnard was left unbeaten on 34 after last man Dillon Pennington edged Carse to second slip.

Bowler played four Tests for England in 1981-82, before moving into TV commentary

Andrew Miller25-Dec-2020
Robin Jackman, the former Surrey and England seamer who went on to become one of the leading broadcasters in South African cricket, has died at the age of 75.Jackman, who made his Test debut in 1981 at the age of 35, claimed 14 wickets at 31.78 in his four England appearances, and also featured in 15 ODIs between 1974 and 1983.However, he was arguably most famous for the match that he did not play, at Guyana on England’s tour of the West Indies in 1980-81, when his connections to Apartheid South Africa – through his wife Yvonne, and through his longstanding cricketing association with the country – led to the cancellation of the second Test of the series.Jackman had earned his place on that winter’s Caribbean tour on the back of a stellar county season for Surrey, who finished second in the County Championship behind their London rivals Middlesex, thanks in no small part to his haul of 121 wickets at 15.40.In the course of a domestic career that began in 1966, Jackman took more than 1400 first-class wickets at 22.80, and scored 5681 runs at 17.69, with 17 half-centuries. His career-best of 8 for 40 came for Rhodesia against Natal in 1972-73.Jackman was born in India in 1945 and grew up in England, but coached and played for Rhodesia and Western Province over 11 seasons, a relationship that led the Guyana government to deny him a visa on that 1980-81 England tour.When the English management chose not to yield to political pressure, the match was abandoned, and the series moved on to Barbados. Jackman was recalled in place of the injured Bob Willis and claimed five wickets in the match, including Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes and Clive Lloyd. However, he was unable to prevent West Indies claiming a 298-run win for an unassailable 2-0 lead.After retirement, Jackman moved into the media, and became a regular commentator for the South African broadcaster Supersport. In 2012, he was diagnosed with throat cancer, having already undergone two operations to remove malignant tumours from his vocal chords.He passed away at 3.30pm South Africa time on Christmas Day, and is survived by his wife Yvonne and two daughters. His death comes just 48 hours after that of his former Surrey team-mate John Edrich, who died aged 83 on December 23.The ICC reacted to the news in a statement: ‘We are saddened to learn about the death of legendary commentator and former England bowler Robin Jackman, who has passed away aged 75. The thoughts of the cricketing world go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.’In a statement on Boxing Day, CSA’s interim board described Jackman as “a household voice for all who loved and followed cricket”, and South Africa will wear black armbands in his memory on the second day of their Test against Sri Lanka.”Always passionate and knowledgeable, he was also known for his big-hearted enjoyment of life. In 2012 he was diagnosed with cancer of the vocal chords. He continued commentating for a while and was also very actively involved in fundraising for the Mercy Ships and Grace Vision.”His passing, a few days after the death of his former Surrey team-mate, John Edrich, leaves a void in the cricketing world but particularly in South African cricketing life. We mourn the loss of a fine man, a lover of life, a cricket aficionado and a commentator who became part of the fabric of South African cricket in so many ways.”

South Australia’s lead has crossed 300 and they might look to stretch it a bit more before attacking Tasmania

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2019A big unbeaten century from Alex Doolan, a determined 89 from Matthew Wade, and then enterprising knocks from Henry Hunt and Callum Ferguson set up a tantalising final day of the Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and Tasmania at Adelaide Oval.The Redbacks have not won any of their past 16 Shield matches, but with a lead of 311 and a minimum 94 overs remaining in the match, stand-in captain Jake Lehmann has a chance to script a victory for the hosts, though Doolan and Wade underlined their threat in any prospective fourth-innings chase.Doolan, who has in recent years made a habit of scoring runs just as the national selectors are deliberating on their squad for the first Test of the summer, found the boundary 19 times in a stay that soaked up 403 balls and was only ended when Wade called a halt to the innings to allow SA to set-up a target.Wade’s own stay, for 89 runs across 256 deliveries, was a useful knock for him ahead of the Gabba Test.Handed a first-innings advantage of 145, the Redbacks tore into the Tigers’ attack in the final 26 overs of the day, as Hunt followed up his first-innings century with more, while Ferguson made his first score of note since being recalled to the side in the previous round against New South Wales.They can expect to bat for perhaps another half an hour on the final morning to push SA’s lead somewhere beyond 350.

Jason Holder praised Shai Hope for batting with great degree of control on the fourth day to open up the possibility of a West Indies win, which the bowlers sealed on Thursday

Danyal Rasool04-May-20171:45

‘The series is wide open’ – Holder

It was a match where momentum swung sharply one way and then the other, but still left one feeling that West Indies were up against it. Ever since Pakistan had dominated the opening two sessions of the first day, reducing their opponents to 154 for 6, they kept snuffing out any West Indian resurgence. All those efforts came undone on a famous morning in Bridgetown, with the West Indies needing under 35 overs to blow Pakistan away for 81 and seal an astonishing 106-run series-levelling victory.The seeds of the win were sown during the course of the fourth afternoon when Shai Hope, who averaged little over 15 in eight Tests prior to this, negated the Yasir Shah threat to make a gritty 90 that stretched the lead to 187.”It was a collective team effort,” Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, said. “We got runs in the first innings which I felt was crucial, and we were able to back it up with a solid second-innings performance on that kind of pitch. I think credit must go to Shai Hope, and obviously our bowling department was outstanding the entire game.”We felt if we could give them anything in excess of 170, we were in with a really good chance on a day-five pitch. It was all about being patient, we needed to hit our lengths, and use our cutters, cross-seam deliveries, anything that would give us assistance off the wicket. We dropped one or two chances, an area we need to improve on, but it was still a strong collective team effort.”Holder’s one regret was Hope missing a maiden Test century. “His innings was outstanding. He likes batting here; I think he has two double-centuries at this ground. And it’s good he came here, playing his second Test match here, and went on to score a half-century. Unfortunately, he didn’t go on to score a hundred, I felt he deserved it, but that’s the way cricket goes. But I felt his innings was really crucial. He was patient and selective. He played on merit and was able to get a good score for us.”Misbah, for his part, refused to play up the troubles of chasing on a crumbling surface. “You can easily say that it’s about batting on a day-five pitch. But after getting them 150-odd for 6 in the first innings and letting them score 300-plus, we let it slip. Then, we were in control batting at 316 for 4, but could only manage a lead of 81. I think that made a huge difference, and we all knew even on the first day that it’s [the pitch] going to get worse.”So if we had managed a bigger lead in the first innings that could have made a difference. On the last day, all credit to the West Indian bowlers, they hit their lines, they bowled their heart out, and we really had no answers.”

While Faf du Plessis looks to come out on top in the midst of pressure of playing a big game, New Zealand will look to defend their streak of seven straight ODI series wins at home

Andrew McGlashan03-Mar-20172:26

‘This series hasn’t seen our best cricket yet’ – Faf du Plessis

“Pressure is a Messerschmitt up your arse, playing cricket is not,” Keith Miller, the great Australia allrounder once said.If it is accepted that the results of sporting contests require a dose of perspective now and again, it wouldn’t really be sport if there wasn’t the talk of pressure.It abounded at Eden Park on Friday as New Zealand and South Africa prepared for the deciding one-day international (although AB de Villiers started it straight after the Hamilton defeat). Perhaps the series was always destined to finish this way.If either side hoped that they could finally move on from semi-final two years ago – New Zealand are no doubt happier for the memories to linger – then they will have been disappointed. It was a frequent topic around the T20 two weeks ago; this time it has a little more relevance.New Zealand are defending a record of seven straight home ODI series wins (and eight trophies counting the Chappell-Hadlee that was on offer for the World Cup match against Australia) and South Africa need to win to regain the No. 1 ranking that they lost after the Hamilton defeat. So who is the pressure on?”Us for playing big moments, and New Zealand as home team with a very good record of maintaining home series’,” Faf du Plessis said. “They would be very disappointed to not keep that record strong. For us it is the pressure of playing a big game and trying to come out on top.”Victory in the opening match of this series gave South Africa a run of 12 wins on the bounce, but New Zealand have pushed them harder than either an under-strength Australia or the overpowered Sri Lanka managed on home soil.The last time the teams played a high-pressure game at Eden Park, both camps were left misty-eyed•AFP

While the series win and No. 1 ranking are of great importance to South Africa, the significance of this match does not extend to that of a Champions Trophy or World Cup knockout game. Since that semi-final at Eden Park, South Africa have faced five deciding ODIs: against Bangladesh, New Zealand, India, England (coming from 2-0 down) and in the Caribbean triangular last year. They won the middle three of those, losing to Bangladesh and being knocked out in the final group match in West Indies.That is a mixed bag of results, but winning in India and coming from 2-0 down in a five-match series is not to be sniffed at. However, it does suggest that for all the baggage of Eden Park there won’t really be much learnt by the outcome, although du Plessis was willing to play his part and give the “pressure” value a tweak.”Definitely from pressure point of view, since [the World Cup], this could be the one that has most value to it,” he said. “Other series have gone 5-0, 5-0, so for the relevance of getting into a big moment, this is big in terms of that.”New Zealand’s success rate in deciding matches since the World Cup, where it should be remembered they did not handle the pressure of the final very well, is a mixed bag. Wins against Zimbabwe, Australia and Pakistan (although the latter was effectively just a two-match series) have been countered by defeats at the hands of England, South Africa and India. While du Plessis did not attempt to downplay the decider much, Tim Southee acknowledged the World Cup semi-final but also how New Zealand never try to elevate one game above another.”A few guys were involved but we are just looking forward to going out in a deciding match against the best side in the world,” Southee said. “The excitement level lifts a little bit. But I think that was one of our strengths through the World Cup. No matter what stage we were at throughout that tournament, our preparation and levelness around the group didn’t change. The guys will be naturally excited, there’s a little bit more at stake, but we’ll prepare the same way.”

Pakistan’s bowling coach Mohammad Akram was satisfied with the performance of their raw pace attack, but said there were areas in which improvement was needed

Firdose Moonda in Centurion22-Feb-2013A combination of injuries and illnesses compelled Pakistan into fielding a pace attack with only two Tests worth of experience in Centurion. It gave their bowling coach Mohammad Akram insight into their resources – a look into the future – and he said he was “pretty satisfied” with what he saw, although there are some concerns.The most obvious issue is that the 19-year old debutant Ehsan Adil may not be able to take further part in the match after pulling his calf muscle in the fourth over before stumps. He went off the field after the first ball of his 13th over and Akram could not confirm the severity of the injury. “He will get 14 or 15 hours of rest tonight and we hope he will bowl tomorrow,” was his only answer.Should Adil be ruled out, it will be a sad end to what must have been a dream-like few hours for the teenager. He was under no illusion that he was brought to South Africa to play Test cricket. According to Akram, Adil knew he was traveling to gain experience. “We brought him on this tour to give him some exposure,” he said. “We started a policy to take young players with us since we do not have international a cricket in Pakistan because then they can learn from being around the squad.”Only because Junaid Khan’s thigh wound had not healed and Umar Gul’s fever had not broken, was Adil was given a debut. “We didn’t have any choice,” Akram said. “There are a lot of injuries in our camp but Gul and Junaid were our first choice.”Circumstance dictated the strength of the side Pakistan could play and it would be unfair to judge them on the performance that ensued. Their inexperience showed. In between challenging deliveries, there were too many runs offered, particularly off wide deliveries and an unacceptable number of no-balls. Hashim Amla said as much. “There were times when they bowled well but then we would often get a loose ball and we could take advantage of that,” he said.Rahat Ali showed improvement from his debut at the Wanderers, where he was both expensive and ineffective. In Centurion, he was only the former. He persisted with a length that was too full and invited the drive and could not rein it in. Adil had a better measure of the length, although he was not as quick as he had been talked up to be.Akram was impressed with Adil’s early spell, in which he claimed the wicket of Graeme Smith, but saw him taper off towards the end of the day. “He bowled well this morning even though there were a bit of nerves because of the debut,” he said. “It became difficult later on, especially against players like AB de Villiers and Amla. It is never easy. Our bowlers are still learning and they will learn.”South Africa’s top six have 296 matches of experience to draw from and only Mohammed Irfan looked a real threat. He did not make the batsmen play enough but he was dangerous because of his bounce. “It wasn’t a bad start for the youngsters,” Akram said.He was hopeful things could only get better, especially because of the conditions. “I expected the cracks would open up by day three but I see they are opening up on day one,” Akram said. “When that happens, you can’t keep Saeed Ajmal out of the game. I don’t expect him to do wonders on day one. Maybe later on.”For now Akram can only hope Adil pulls recovers overnight and the injuries, for which he had two explanations, don’t mount. “At home, we are used to soft ground but here in South Africa, the ground is very heavy. That could be one reason,” he said before placing more responsibility on the players and staff for the spate of niggles. “We really need to work on our fitness as well. I admit that.”

Kevin O’Brien is hopeful that the bidders at the IPL auction on February 4 remember his blitz against England in the World Cup

Nagraj Gollapudi31-Jan-2012After Kevin O’Brien returned home from the 2011 World Cup, a tournament that featured his heroic 50-ball hundred (the fastest in World Cup history) that shocked England on a balmy evening in Bangalore, one of the first calls he received was from the Cricket Ireland bosses. They wanted to let him know that one of the IPL teams, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, had asked if O’Brien could be signed up as a reserve player. “Unfortunately, since I was not part of the initial auction last year, I could not sign up. That was a little disappointing,” O’Brien told ESPNcricinfo. This year, when the IPL opened the window for players to register on the auction list, he did not think twice.What makes O’Brien’s case unique is that among the 144 names on the final list, he is one of only three players representing the Associate countries at the auction. His elder brother, Niall, and Tom Cooper, who plays for Netherlands, are the other Associate players in the auction that will be held on February 4 in Bangalore.”That last year’s performance against England would be hopefully high up on the mind of the bidders come Saturday,” O’Brien said of what he hoped for at the auction. That knock would not be looked upon as a freak innings was made certain by O’Brien: he was signed up by Gloucestershire soon after the World Cup and, last June, playing in the Friends Life t20 match against Middlesex in Uxbridge, O’Brien slammed a 44-ball century, the fastest in domestic Twenty20.The few thousands who were present on the day were in for a double treat. O’Brien had walked in to open with former New Zealand batsman Hamish Marshall (who now represents Ireland) and built a record opening partnership of 192 runs, with both batsmen scoring centuries. “It was a great day for me. I was opening the batting and I really enjoyed it,” O’Brien said. “So now I can not only open, but also play down in the middle order. It is good to have two strings to the bow.”His 113 against England had instantly turned O’Brien, 27, into a national hero. The man from Dublin, who plays for the local Railway Union Cricket Club, became a symbol of pride. A week after returning from the World Cup, O’Brien was dropping his mother off at work when he realised just how popular he had become. “I had a hood on and the [car’s] windows were up,” O’Brien said. We were at a traffic signal. Suddenly I noticed a cab driver jump out of his car, tap on my window and congratulate me on my performance.”Now, O’Brien felt, he could use that popularity to attract more fans for the IPL in Ireland, if he is bought by any of the nine franchises. “If either myself or Niall were to be bought at the auction, it will certainly raise the profile of the game in Ireland. The public will surely have a huge interest in the IPL, if one of us is playing in it.”Cricket, O’Brien said, has been getting bigger in the country since 2007, when Ireland beat Pakistan in the World Cup. Last year’s victory over England has raised the popularity levels of the sport even further. “A lot more people are talking about cricket on the streets,” he said. “A lot more people are coming to our games.”In the four previous IPL seasons, there had been only one player from the Associates to play in the IPL: Ryan ten Doeschate, who plays for Netherlands. Despite not having played regularly with the top-bracket teams, O’Brian felt that all three Associate players in the reckoning this year had played enough competitive cricket to stand up to anyone on the international stage. “Niall has been playing county cricket for twelve years now; Tom Cooper plays first-class cricket in Australia; I have played country cricket for Gloucestershire and previously with Nottinghamshire. So we all have got experience.”O’Brien, who was recently appointed the vice-captain of the Ireland team, decided to skip the Bangladesh Premier League [BPL], even if there was healthy interest in him from the franchises. In fact, Niall was signed by Khulna Royal Bengal for US $80,000. “Unfortunately it [the BPL] clashes with the 2015 World Cup qualifying matches in Kenya, and then qualifiers for the World Twenty20 in March,” O’Brien said. “Hopefully I will be there next year. My contract with Cricket Ireland comes first and everything else next.”As far as the franchises’ interest in him goes, O’Brien could remain optimistic. “He is a good pick. A value for money one, in the way ten Doeschate was for Kolkata Knight Riders,” a franchise official said. ten Doeschate, the 2011 ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year (he picked up the award three times in the last four years) was bought by Knight Riders for $150,000, after having his base price set at $50,000.”Unfortunately, there are quite a lot of players with his [O’Brien’] type of skills. [But] There is no doubt he is a quality player,” said a coach from another franchise. “He and his brother are good players and franchises will definitely consider them during the bidding.” Asked if O’Brien had catapulted himself into the minds of the potential bidders solely on the back of his match-winning performance against England, the coach did not agree. “He is a good hitter of the ball and we have seen it for a while now,” he said.Small wonder then, the O’Brien brothers have planned to spend this weekend together, waiting to see whether either or both of them have earned their IPL ticket. “Niall is coming over on the weekend and we are going to follow the auction on the internet,” O’Brien said. “It is going to be a nervous morning.”