For consistent success, Ireland need Plan B

Of the six wins, just once have Ireland won by batting first. All the other wins have come batting first. This came at Bridgetown, Barbados when they successfully defended a target of 243 against Bangladesh. In their very first World Cup appearance, in 2007, Ireland registered wins over two Test nations – Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The Pakistan win was in fact Ireland’s first-ever World Cup win and was achieved by three wickets to spare at Kingston, Jamaica.

Then in 2011, Ireland successfully chased down two stiff targets-England’s 327 at Bengaluru and Netherlands’ 306 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.

In the ongoing edition, Ireland started their campaign with a resounding four-wicket win over West Indies in Nelson. The Ireland side faced no trouble in chasing down West Indies’ total of 304 for seven with four wickets and 25 balls to spare. This made Ireland the first side in World Cup history to chase down 300 plus totals thrice. Ireland’s sixth win came in their previous league match against UAE at Brisbane, when they chased down in thrilling fashion a target of 278 with two wickets and four balls in hand.

With Ireland’s bowling being their weak link, the plans of the side are simple. Field, let the opponents score decently and then chase down any target that may be confronted with. It is a high-risk strategy that has worked with moderate success thus far. But is highly unlikely to pay dividends for long.