Cricket win - Irish team take a bow

THE country needs a fillip but who would have thought it would come from cricket. Hats off to an Irish team that yesterday overcame England in one of the greatest one-day innings ever seen.

Four years after beating Pakistan in the Caribbean, the World Cup defeat of England in India is all the more astonishing considering the tiny number of players here. It was a scintillating performance by a team who obviously believe in themselves — a timely lesson perhaps for Ireland’s international rugby players.

Ireland looked set to lose until man of the match Kevin O’Brien made cricket history with the performance of a lifetime, smashing the fastest century ever seen in one-day cricket. Remarkably, having just failed to beat Bangladesh in the opening match, the team now has a real chance of reaching the quarter finals.