BLACKCAPS coach John Bracewell has underlined the threat posed by ICC World Cup outsiders Ireland ahead of the teams’ match at Guyana’s Providence Stadium overnight.
The Irish defeated Pakistan and drew with Zimbabwe on their way to the Super Eight Series stage.
This pedigree has led Bracewell to emphasise that his team must pay Trent Johnston’s outfit the same respect offered to all opponents,
Bangladesh have again shown the unpredictability of tournament play with victory over world rankings leaders South Africa.
He said “Respect is a key word that we have maintained. We must respect the opposition and the conditions at all times and I think that South Africa failed to do that.
“We have been scouting them and have had people watching them. We also have video tapes of their games. That is how much we respect them.”
“They are used to the conditions now. They want the same result as any other team and therefore the intensity and passion will always be there.
“We can’t look too far ahead because that could put us in trouble. So at the moment, we will focus on getting these two points from Ireland and then see what happens after.”
However, the coach made a timely reminder of his team’s contribution to the tournament as one of only two unbeaten teams alongside champions Australia.
He added: “We are playing with a lot of confidence. We are playing as hard as we could since there are no easy games.
“The fact that we are winning is because we have played hard. It doesn’t mean the opposition is poor and we must give ourselves credit.”
Ross Taylor looks unlikely to feature having struggled with his hamstring injury, while Ireland bowler Andre Botha picked up a similar problem in training last week.
BLACKCAPS (from): Stephen Fleming (captain), Peter Fulton, Hamish Marshall, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond, James Franklin, Mark Gillespie, Jeetan Patel, Michael Mason, Chris Martin.
Ireland (from): Trent Johnston (captain), Jeremy Bray, William Porterfield, Eoin Morgan, Niall O'Brien, Kieran O'Brien, Andrew White, Kyle McCallan, David Langford-Smith, Boyd Rankin, Paul Mooney, John Mooney, Peter Gillespie, Kenny Carroll.
BLACKCAPS v Ireland, Tuesday 10 April (NZ time). Follow the match online at BLACKCAPS.co.nz, on Radio Sport and live on Sky Sports TV
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