Ireland wins ICC Intercontinental Cup 2005

Ireland - winners of the 2005 ICC Intercontinental Cup © ICC

Ireland yesterday claimed the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2005 title by beating Kenya by six wickets in a thrilling climax in Windhoek, Namibia.

Ireland becomes the second European winner of the event, following in the footsteps of Scotland who won the inaugural title in 2004.

Victory in the final of the 12-team event gives Ireland the right to lay claim to being the best first-class nation outside the Test arena. Their path to the final saw them beat Scotland and complete winning draws against Holland and UAE.

This success caps a fantastic year for Ireland that has also seen them qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time.

They did that by reaching the final of the ICC Trophy in July where they lost out to Scotland.

13 - 15 August, Aberdeen: Ireland 172 & 196 (D Joyce 61) beat Scotland 234-9 declared (English 66) & 131 by three runs.

23 - 25 August, Belfast: Ireland 407-4 declared (Bray 135, Botha 97, D Joyce 54, Molins 53, Gillespie 50*) drew with the Netherlands 204-6 (ten Doeschate 84).

Semi-final: 23 - 25 October, Windhoek: Ireland 350 for 7 dec and 444 for 4 dec (Bray 190, O'Brien 176) drew with UAE 189 and 227 for 8 (Ali 59, Saleem 68, McCallan 3-32)

Final: 27 - 29 October, Windhoek: Ireland 313 for 4 dec and 245 for 4 (Bray 64) beat Kenya 401 for 4 dec and 156 (M Suji 52, McCallan 4-34) by six wickets

A tactical declaration on Friday by Ireland captain Trent Johnston helped to turn what looked like a certain draw into an almost incredible victory in the final of the Intercontinental Cup against Kenya in Windhoek, Namibia.

Having qualified for the World Cup by getting to the final of the ICC Trophy earlier this year, 2005 is surely the most successful year in Irish cricketing history. While winning the Intercontinental Cup brings nothing in terms of more finance from the ICC or invitation to another event, it lifts the profile of Irish cricket internationally and should make the national team a more attractive proposition to potential sponsors.

The first session of play yesterday was what cricket lovers watch the game for. In the space of a few short overs, this three-day game was turned on its head. Such was Kenya's first innings lead, it was clear that all they had to do was bat all day and then claim a winning draw by virtue of having more bonus points. And on a batting track that was as flat as a road, that was where the smart money was going overnight.

Kenya resumed on 104 for 3 and managed only another 52 runs for their remaining seven wickets (the last five coming for just six runs).

Ireland bowled and fielded magnificently, despite the absence of captain and main strike bowler Trent Johnston who broke a finger on Friday.

Kyle McCallan (4-34), Andy White (3-24), Adrian McCoubrey (2-37) and Andre Botha (1-22) soldiered superbly in his absence. That, coupled with some excellent fielding, notably diving catches from McCoubrey and White, reduced the semi-finalists from the 2003 World Cup and possible candidates for Test status to a team of chumps.

And the reason? Well, if reason is ever a genuine part of cricket, it has to be Johnston's imaginative declaration when his side were still 88 runs behind. It gave Ireland the time to attempt to bowl Kenya out or force them into setting them a target in the fourth innings. But more importantly it completely bamboozled the opposition.

They walked off the field on Friday shrugging, shaking their heads and completely surprised. As a result they batted with no focus and no plan.

Having more bonus points than Ireland at that stage, should they just close up shop and bat out the game for a winning draw? Or should they be positive and try to set Ireland a high total in an effort to win outright?

They got caught somewhere in the middle and with Ireland knowing exactly what they were doing, Kenya's batsmen didn't last long. By the end, it was like watching a child pull apart a daddylonglegs. And boy, did Ireland enjoy it.

Ireland then showed great composure to knock off the runs, with all the top order chipping in. Dom Joyce and Jeremy Bray set the foundation with an opening stand of 83 and after that, the positive run-rate kept Ireland ahead of the posse. In the end they passed their target of 245 to win with six wickets and 13.1 overs to spare. Cue the cheers, the bear hugs and the high-pitched shrieks.

Further details of this year's ICC Intercontinental Cup, including previous media releases, can be found here