At the pre-event media conference, Porterfield sounded confident about his team’s chances and believed they could spring a surprise at the tournament.
“The preparations have gone pretty well. Few of the boys were in England playing county cricket. The others have been in good shape as well. We got here a week or so ago and have had enough game time under our belt. So we are confident that we can beat any team on our day, if we play to our potential," said Porterfield.
Ireland is drawn with Australia and West Indies in Group B of the tournament. Porterfield believes his side can beat both the teams to go through to the next stage.
Australia recently slipped behind Ireland in the Reliance ICC T20 Championship table, before moving back up. But Porterfield does not want to look at the table as a form guide either. “We have two very good teams in our group. We want to win both the games. But our first game in the tournament against Australia will be the most crucial one," added Porterfield.
The addition of former Australia fast bowler Craig McDermott as Ireland’s bowling coach has been a good addition to the squad.
McDermott has already announced that Ireland are capable of beating Australia. Porterfield takes confidence from that assertion. “Bowlers will benefit a lot from Craig’s (McDermott) presence. Craig has been with Australia (as bowling coach) before us, so he has seen both the sides.
If he says we can beat Australia, then it does mean something good for the confidence of the side," opined Porterfield.
Ireland’s squad also played a series against touring South Africa A as part of the build-up to the ICC World Twenty20 2012. Despite the inclement weather in Ireland, the squad got some valuable match practice.
“We have gained a bit more experience since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The majority of the squad has been the same for us. We are pretty consistent now and have the confidence. If we keep improving the confidence levels will keep going high," concluded Porterfield.
No comments:
Post a Comment