Irish warning for Morgan

Irish out to give Morgan rough ride against former team-mates

Last updated: 4th May 2010  

Irish warning for Morgan

Morgan: Facing former team-mates

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Niall O'Brien has warned fellow Dubliner Eoin Morgan to expected a rough ride when England meet Ireland on Tuesday for a place in the Super Eights of the ICC World Twenty20.

23-year-old Morgan will face many former Ireland team-mates at the Guyana National Stadium when England play their group rivals in a must-win game for the Irish.

Morgan was brilliant as he made 55 off 35 balls in England's controversial Duckworth-Lewis loss to the West Indies on Monday, and he will hope to shine against his native country.

The last time England and Ireland met in Georgetown it was at the Super Eight stage of the 2007 ICC World Cup and Morgan was run out for two by the English.

This time around Northamptonshire wicketkeeper O'Brien, who will be winning his 100th Ireland cap, insists he bears Morgan no ill, but promised there would be no sentiment either.

Team-mates

"Eoin's been a team-mate of mine for many years and a good friend who I speak to quite often during the county season," O'Brien said.

"So it's going to be interesting but we've been here before in Guyana, playing against an Irishman playing for England and that day ended well for us with Joycey only getting a couple, so hopefully it's going to be the same thing on Tuesday.

"Once we're out there there'll be no friendships on the pitch."

Of his own achievement in making 100 appearances for Ireland, O'Brien joked it was a total he should have long since passed.

"It's a nice milestone. I think I've missed 82 games since my debut through county commitments so it could be 182 but anyway, it's a 100 games and it's a proud moment for me and all my family are pretty proud I'm sure," he added.

"I've had some great days in the Ireland colours and I look forward to a few more good days in the office. There's a lot more cricket left in me."

Task

More important to the 28-year-old wicketkeeper is that Ireland win the match and progress to the Super Eights, a task that does not intimidate O'Brien despite his side's 70-run defeat to West Indies last Friday night.

"We've got to win the match so we've got to play a lot better than we did the other night in all aspects of the game," he said.

"It's hard to take when you get a thumping like that by a good side but a side we expected to compete against a lot better than that. So we've got to bounce back.

"We've got a big game we have to win to get through so we'll crack on."