Greg Thompson was yesterday named in the Ireland squad for next week's Inter-Continental Cup opener against Scotland in Belfast.
It is a big call by Ireland coach Phil Simmons and his fellow selectors after watching the Lisburn leg spinner take four for 133 in 23 overs in the Ireland A game which finished in an exciting draw at Malahide yesterday.
Thompson, like most leg spinners, will take wickets but he is still bowling one too many loose ball every over and although he turns it more than Gary Kidd, the Waringstown slow left armer, who played all three games in last month's Quadrangular series, will feel unlucky to be left out.
Ireland A captain Andrew White, who had a good three days with the ball against MCC, proved he is still Ireland's No 2 slow bowler and is certain to play at Stormont. The last place would appear to be between Thompson and Thinus Fourie depending on the pitch.
The game at Malahide yesterday got the finish it deserved after a high-scoring, closely matched contest. MCC needed 17 off the last over, bowled by Fourie, but the South African-born Ireland international restricted the ninth wicket pair to 10 off the first five balls and then, with Aaron O'Brien going for a six to level the scores, he held the skyer himself.
O'Brien, the batsman of the match, followed up his classy 111 in the first innings with an equally impressive 143 yesterday. The 25-year old Australian, who has played 20 first class games for New South Wales, could only be blamed for taking 10 singles through the 90s which, it could be argued cost his side the victory but in the end a draw was the fair result.
Andrew Poynter was the batting hero for Ireland in the morning, the Clontarf batsman scoring an undefeated 114 off 116 balls with 13 fours and three sixes.
It was a stark contrast to his first innings when he took 120 balls over his first 20 runs.
The MCC target was 292 from 59 overs.
SCORES: Ireland first innings 328-6 dec (A Cusack 67 not out, D Joyce 64, A White 59, A Poynter 42)
MCC first innings 375 (D Christian 113, A O'Brien 111, A Balbirnie 61 not out; A White 4-44, P Connell 3-79, G Thompson 2-66)
Ireland second innings 338-6 (D Rankin 59, R Strydom 82, A Poynter 114 not out, A Cusack 1, G Thompson 26, F McAllister 7 not out; C Salmons 2-31, J Wightman 2-69).
MCC second innings 285-9 (A O'Brien 143 G Mail 65; T Fourie 5-28 (off 10 overs), G Thompson 2-77 (13), R Strydom 1-14 (4), A White 1-47 (13), P Connell 0-32 (7), R Whelan 0-18 (4), P Eaglestone 0-22 (3), A Cusack 0-36 (5).
Ireland squad (to face Scotland at Stormont, August 9-12): T Johnston (Railway Union), A Botha (North County), A Cusack (Clontarf), T Fourie (Merrion), D Langford-Smith (Phoenix), K McCallan (Waringstown), E Morgan (Middlesex), K O'Brien (Railway Union), N O'Brien (Northamptonshire), W Porterfield (Rush), G Thompson (Lisburn), A White (Instonians).
It is a big call by Ireland coach Phil Simmons and his fellow selectors after watching the Lisburn leg spinner take four for 133 in 23 overs in the Ireland A game which finished in an exciting draw at Malahide yesterday.
Thompson, like most leg spinners, will take wickets but he is still bowling one too many loose ball every over and although he turns it more than Gary Kidd, the Waringstown slow left armer, who played all three games in last month's Quadrangular series, will feel unlucky to be left out.
Ireland A captain Andrew White, who had a good three days with the ball against MCC, proved he is still Ireland's No 2 slow bowler and is certain to play at Stormont. The last place would appear to be between Thompson and Thinus Fourie depending on the pitch.
The game at Malahide yesterday got the finish it deserved after a high-scoring, closely matched contest. MCC needed 17 off the last over, bowled by Fourie, but the South African-born Ireland international restricted the ninth wicket pair to 10 off the first five balls and then, with Aaron O'Brien going for a six to level the scores, he held the skyer himself.
O'Brien, the batsman of the match, followed up his classy 111 in the first innings with an equally impressive 143 yesterday. The 25-year old Australian, who has played 20 first class games for New South Wales, could only be blamed for taking 10 singles through the 90s which, it could be argued cost his side the victory but in the end a draw was the fair result.
Andrew Poynter was the batting hero for Ireland in the morning, the Clontarf batsman scoring an undefeated 114 off 116 balls with 13 fours and three sixes.
It was a stark contrast to his first innings when he took 120 balls over his first 20 runs.
The MCC target was 292 from 59 overs.
SCORES: Ireland first innings 328-6 dec (A Cusack 67 not out, D Joyce 64, A White 59, A Poynter 42)
MCC first innings 375 (D Christian 113, A O'Brien 111, A Balbirnie 61 not out; A White 4-44, P Connell 3-79, G Thompson 2-66)
Ireland second innings 338-6 (D Rankin 59, R Strydom 82, A Poynter 114 not out, A Cusack 1, G Thompson 26, F McAllister 7 not out; C Salmons 2-31, J Wightman 2-69).
MCC second innings 285-9 (A O'Brien 143 G Mail 65; T Fourie 5-28 (off 10 overs), G Thompson 2-77 (13), R Strydom 1-14 (4), A White 1-47 (13), P Connell 0-32 (7), R Whelan 0-18 (4), P Eaglestone 0-22 (3), A Cusack 0-36 (5).
Ireland squad (to face Scotland at Stormont, August 9-12): T Johnston (Railway Union), A Botha (North County), A Cusack (Clontarf), T Fourie (Merrion), D Langford-Smith (Phoenix), K McCallan (Waringstown), E Morgan (Middlesex), K O'Brien (Railway Union), N O'Brien (Northamptonshire), W Porterfield (Rush), G Thompson (Lisburn), A White (Instonians).
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