Ireland and Scotland both missing county players for New Zealand ODIs
Yet again proving that the ICC’s mandatory release rules are about as useful as a solar powered torch (excuse the cliché), both Ireland and Scotland will be missing at least one county player for their ODIs against Scotland in Aberdeen next week.
Scotland will be missing Kyle Coetzer, whilst Ireland will be missing Niall O’Brien and their captain William Porterfield.
Cricket Scotland say that they have agreed with Durham that Coetzer should remain with them to enable him to get back into form, an ODI against the World Cup semi-finalists evidently being useless for getting back into form, but questions will be asked if Durham continue to not pick him.
Most contraversial will be William Porterfield’s decision to rule himself out of selection to enable him to retain his place in the Gloucestershire side. Whilst it is almost certain that this is the result of pressure from his county side, whilst he has a chance to make a successful career out of cricket at Gloucestershire, whilst one must sympathise with his situation, etc, etc, we must remember one thing…
Porterfield is the Ireland captain! Playing for Ireland MUST be his first priority. The captain of a team should be playing every single match unless he is injured. It is the captain who bonds the team together and provides leadership on the field. If a team doesn’t know if their captain is going to be available from one game to the next, they are always going to struggle.
Cricket Ireland have made a mistake appointing Porterfield as captain, and Porterfield himself should resign from the captaincy unless he can commit to Ireland for every match.
Posted: June 24th, 2008 by Andrew Nixon.
Comments: 8
Comments
Comment from Tom Mather
Time: June 25, 2008, 5:06 am
Porterfield should give up the captaincy if he’s not going to be available. But he’s in an awkward position. If he was an established member of the Gloucestershire team or not in the team at all, it wouldn’t matter so much. But even if he was allowed to play by his county, would he go? This is his job after all. Getting a regular spot in the first team might benefit him and Ireland in the long run in the WCQ matches and the World Cup.
As for Kyle Koetzer, I’ve said some sympathetic things about him in the past but it seems to me now that he doesn’t want to play for Scotland. He’s lost his place in the Durham first team to an in form Will Smith and might not get it back for some time. Is Durham 2nd XI more important to him than Scotland or more useful. It shouldn’t be. By playing for Scotland it doesn’t seem he’s got anything to lose.
Comment from fromefrog
Time: June 25, 2008, 3:08 pm
yes Porterfield should stand down as captain if he can’t give the job his full attention, but in some ways his(& some others) absense may help, chance to blood younger players, the developing nations will need a good squad of players in years to come.
Comment from swetal
Time: June 25, 2008, 3:35 pm
Hi
Playing County is bad for players who r from non test playing nation.icc must do some thing about these
Comment from Andrew Nixon
Time: June 25, 2008, 4:44 pm
swetal - I don’t see how playing at a higher level is bad for these players? Yes not being available for international cricket is bad for the national sides but how on earth is this bad for the players?
Comment from Ian MacQuillin
Time: June 26, 2008, 3:28 pm
Much as I hate to criticise someone who has to make such a difficult choice as seemingly choosing between career and country, being captain requires - more than any other player - leadership, sacrifice and the ability to make difficult choices and stand by the consequences of those decisions.
If you can do that, you shouldn’t be captain. After all, how can you lead if you’re not even in the team.
Re Coetzer - are we sure he declined the offer to play for Scotland freely or was he coerced by Durham into staying in their second team. If you read the Scottish press release, it says “after discussion with Durham’s coaching staff”.
Comment from Andrew Nixon
Time: June 26, 2008, 4:27 pm
Re Coetzer - are we sure he declined the offer to play for Scotland freely or was he coerced by Durham into staying in their second team.
Ian, I’m absolutely sure that coercion on the part of Durham is behind it, as it is with Eoin Morgan’s decision to change his mind on being available. Hence my sarcasm in the paragraph.
Comment from Ian MacQuillin
Time: June 26, 2008, 4:38 pm
Has Morgan pulled out now? I hadn’t seen that - that’ll be the T20 Q-final will it? It’ll be more like NZ v Ireland A.
There’s sod all point scheduling ODIs for Ireland and Scotland during the Northern summer if they’re not going to be able to put out full strength teams. They should just all book a couple of weeks holiday in November and go on a world tour cramming in as many ODIs as they can.
Comments on Coetzer were directed at Tom who suggested that Coetzer didn’t want to play for Scotland. I expected he’s gutted he has to play 13-a-side for Durham twos rather than making his ODI debut.
Comment from Ian MacQuillin
Time: July 4, 2008, 3:09 pm
Poor old Coetzer had to miss the NZ match for a limited over match in the second XI Trophy - it wasn’t event a three-day Championship game. And Durham didn’t even have a match on Wednesday when Scotland played Ireland.
Anyway, I don’t suppose he’d have made much difference against NZ. Perhaps he was lucky to have missed this game.
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