John Mooney: Ireland are now world class

Four years ago, John Mooney flicked James Anderson to midwicket to complete Ireland’s stupendous run chase against England.

Last week against the West Indies, Mooney again scored the winning runs as Ireland completed a chase of over 300 against a Test team in the World Cup. There the similarities end.

“It felt quite different really,” Mooney reflects. “The England game was a unique win in a way — we were dead and buried. We weren’t favourites at any stage to win that day whereas against the West Indies we were well on top, and when I went out to bat, it was almost a formality.