In recent
years, several of Ireland’s best players have had to seek England qualification
in order to face the world’s biggest stars. Boyd Rankin was granted a single
Ashes appearance in 2014 and I recall seeing him in a one-dayer at Cardiff.
Eoin Morgan, of course, ended up as England’s ODI captain. Kevin O’Brien now
boasts Ireland’s only Test hundred to accompany that blistering World Cup innings
which defeated England in 2011, while Tim Murtagh’s miserly seam bowling has
finally been tested at the highest level.
But most of
all I am delighted for Ed Joyce. At the age of 39, his status as Test cricketer
assured in the history books, he has decided to retire from all forms of
cricket. For so many years, he was a supremely consistent county stalwart, in
the colours of Sussex and Middlesex, yet
unable to break into the England set-up, partly because he was born in Dublin. Then,
in 2006, he made the breakthrough and opened with Marcus Trescothick against,
perversely, his home nation of Ireland. There were the added contrary
coincidences of his opposition that day including the aforementioned K O’Brien
and Ed’s brother Dom!
After
contributing to Ireland’s tournament qualification, Joyce went on to represent
England in the 2007 World Cup, having just struck a debut century against the
Aussies, before switching allegiance back to Ireland in time for the 2011 competition.
Since then it has been all Ireland, and his runs have been an important factor
in the nation’s rise from leading Associate member to fledgling Test team,
seeking five-day scraps at the top table.
A twenty-year
career has included more than 30,000 runs, including 18,461 in first-class
cricket at a highly impressive average of 47.95. That’s better than Alastair
Cook’s and vastly superior to Morgan’s 35. In 2014, by this time captain of
Sussex, he hit seven centuries in Division One of the County Championship and,
two years later, produced a career-best 250 against Derbyshire. He could have
been the answer to some of England’s batting problems but his allegiance was by
then firmly to the land of his birth.
Right up to
his fortieth year, Ed Joyce’s runs have been vital for Ireland’s march to
another World Cup but from now on they will be missed. It is rather sad that
Ireland’s accession to the pinnacle has coincided with the approaching
dismantling of the side because of age. Besides Joyce, Murtagh, the O’Brien
brothers, Paul Stirling and current skipper Will Porterfield are al well into
their thirties. So is Rankin. Where are the next generation coming from? That’s
where Ireland’s new Test status is so important. Let’s hope Ed Joyce can bring
the same class and inspiration he had as a player to a role of nurturing his
country’s cricketing future.
