Birrell looks to pick Irish up

Ireland coach Adrian Birrell admits it will be difficult for Ireland to pick themselves up after the defeat by Kenya saw their chances of reaching the ICC World Cricket League Division One final evaporate.

While they have come close to beating tournament favourites Kenya and Scotland in Nairobi, Ireland have ended up on the losing side on both occasions and now face Canada.

The Canadians claimed their first win of the tournament yesterday when they defeated Bermuda by 64 runs who Ireland also beat.

However, Birrell said: “It’s going to be very difficult to get up for the rest of the matches, knowing that we are out of the tournament.”

This was echoed by team manager Roy Torrens who said: “It’s very difficult.

“We prepared so well for this tournament. We went to South Africa for three weeks and trained so hard.

“These teams here are so evenly matched that when it comes down to the last over, it’s the rub of the green and I think in fairness, we haven’t had the rub of the green in the two close matches. But that’s cricket.”

Speaking about what lies ahead, Torrens added: “We’ve got two games left and we certainly don’t want to get beaten in the next two matches. We want to go home having won three and narrowly having lost out in two.”