After Ireland qualified for Group 1 of the Super 12s, England’s players were excited about the prospect of playing against them. Mark Wood stated, “Every time Ireland competes against England in any sport, they want to win, therefore this will be an important match.” Chris Woakes stated that the contest was “important for both teams.”
Mark Adair, an Ireland bowler, appears less excited than perplexed when asked to explain his sense of anticipation for Wednesday’s match.
He asks “What do you mean?” I stutter something about history, competition, and custom, but Adair is uninterested. “Every time you play a top team, it’s a momentous occasion, but I’m not sure that playing England would be more significant than playing Pakistan or India.”
In the past 12 months, Ireland has played T20s against India, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and South Africa, who are four of the six teams that qualified straight for the Super 12s. These games are no longer novelties for them.
“I believe we’re prepared,” Adair says. We’re attempting to take these measures so that these victories and World Cups are no longer shocking or unexpected. Simply said, they are a good cricket team putting up a terrific display.”
After losing their opening game of the T20 World Cup to Zimbabwe, there was little hope that they would end the opening group stage by beating West Indies, the result they needed to qualify for this round – especially considering that they lost their final match of last year’s opening group, also with qualification at stake, to Namibia. This time, however, they triumphed decisively.
“Winning never teaches you anything,” Adair argues. “Losing is always a learning experience, and the Namibia game was something our team examined. But we’ve won three of our last four games versus the West Indies. This applies to all formats.
“This year we’ve faced some formidable opponents, but the results haven’t gone our way, so we know as a team that we’re capable of big performances. It was good to be on the receiving end of a favorable outcome this time.”
The goal is to get a few more. While England began the Super 12s with a five-wicket victory over Afghanistan, Ireland began with a nine-wicket loss to fellow qualifier Sri Lanka on Sunday. They are the longest of long shots to go to the semifinals, but they are capable of pulling off a few upsets before the tournament concludes. However, Adair approaches it rather differently once more.
“The outcomes will take care of themselves the more time we spend focused on our performance and the less time we spend thinking about the results,” he says. “We entered the first qualifying stage with the intention of qualifying, which we have accomplished. Now we wish to explore our options.”
This will be Adair’s fourth encounter with England. He was discharged in 2017 after two injury-plagued seasons as a professional following his graduation from the Warwickshire academy. Then 21 years old, he ascended through the ranks of the sport in Ireland, making his international debut against England in May 2019 and contributing to Ireland’s spectacular ODI victory at the Ageas Bowl in 2020.
In between, he participated in the 2019 Test at Lord’s, when England’s first innings was bowled out for 85 runs before they recovered to win. On an opening day, Adair grabbed three wickets, including Joe Roots.
“I’m not sure if there are any names on that England roster that you wouldn’t want, and you’re not giving them back,” he continues. “At the time, he was captain and one of the finest batters in the world, possibly England’s best, so that’s a tremendous personal accomplishment, but I don’t believe it’s anything to get too excited about. You won’t last long in cricket if you try to get particular players out.
Surely there must be times, even in team sports, when an individual can appreciate their accomplishments. Adair states, “Absolutely, but the greatest way to accomplish so is with your teammates and in a team setting.” The celebration of your accomplishments by others is much more special than your own.
The following day, Wednesday will be just another game for a team on the rise, with hopes for more communal celebrations.
Adair states, “There’s nothing greater than celebrating a victory with your teammates.” “You begin to nearly long for those times again, which is why you continue to play. This is why you continue to strive for excellence. When I’m older and tell my children about it in the future, I anticipate that they will find it quite amazing.
