Johnston buoyed by fighting Irish display

IRELAND captain Trent Johnston believes his side have given their confidence a huge boost after coming close to one of the biggest ever upsets in international cricket.

Playing the one-day game’s number one ranked nation, South Africa, in a World Cup warm-up match in St Augustine on Monday, Ireland looked set for an astonishing victory until a late collapse consigned them to a 35-run defeat at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground.

But Johnston feels he and his team-mates can take many plusses from their performance when they meet Zimbabwe in their opening game of the tournament.