Boyd Rankin confirms Ireland return [Update Post #51]

[Donal Cozzie]

BOYD RANKIN could be back in the green of Ireland for the World Cup next year, Cricket Ireland chief Warren Deutrom believes.

Rankin retired from Ireland two years ago, after 82 caps, and threw his lot in with England.

After playing ten games over the three formats – including a disastrous debut Test at Sydney last winter, he could be set to return for the land of his birth.

“I’m aware that ICC wants the best players participating at World Cups and there was no doubt that Boyd not playing for Ireland – or for England – was a loss to us in Bangladesh," Deutrom said yesterday.

“It’s up to the player, that’s key in the first instance. Any approach has to be made very delicately.

“It would be difficult for us to approach Boyd when he might be thinking ‘well, are you saying I might never get back into the England team again?’

“We had the same issues when we talked to Ed (Joyce) about coming back – we had to be certain the approach was timed right and we weren’t sounding the death knell to his England prospects.

“I’m sure if you talked to Boyd now he’d say he was completely focused on getting back into the England team.

“However if he doesn’t play for the England team this summer, he might be amenable to an approach being made.”

Rankin’s former club coach, Ashley Giles, was overlooked when England named their new coach last week, which is seen as a blow to the Bready man’s chances of a recall.

But the biggest barrier might prove to be Warwickshire, who were understood to be unhappy with the bowler’s fitness and recurring injuries when he signed a new contract in 2012.

It was reported that that contract was offered on condition he retire from Ireland.

Deutrom was speaking at the launch of the Newstalk inter-provincials yesterday, with the broadcaster taking over from RSA. The insurance giant signalled at the weekend that its seven-year sponsorship of the Ireland team will end in December.

The competition gets under this weekend in Skerries, when Leinster Lightning play the North West Warriors.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Personally, Id accept him back immediately. Our only real fast bowler unfortunately.According to the rule changes he would have to wait 2 years but it seems an exemption may be possible. Disappointed he switched to England in the first place but there are rumours that he was told to drop Ireland or lose his county contract (his boss at Warwickshire later went on to pick him for England).

 

[MarkCooper]

Probably too good a bowler for Ireland but not good enough for England. He should therefore play for Iregland

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Probably too good a bowler for Ireland but not good enough for England. He should therefore play for Iregland

Theres no such thing as being "too good" to represent your country....

I would love to see him line out for us in the World Cup though. Especially considering his excellent track record vs Pakistan at world cups

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Ireland should not take him back in the team. First Ed Joyce was allowed to come back into the team after playing for england and now boyd rankin wants to come back. They are setting a bad example. In future also you will see players playing for england and coming back to ireland if they don't take strict actions now.

 

[Convict]

Ireland should take him back.

Another few upsets in an Australian world cup, plus the development of their new provincial cricket system (as opposed to club cricket) would really give nobody any excuses to deny them test status.

The financial argument against it doesn't even matter now after the ICC coup.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Ireland should not take him back in the team. First Ed Joyce was allowed to come back into the team after playing for england and now boyd rankin wants to come back. They are setting a bad example. In future also you will see players playing for england and coming back to ireland if they don't take strict actions now.

I see your point but i disagree. In Ed Joyce's case, Ireland werent even near county standard back in 2006 when he left. Before he did leave though he played an instrumental role in qualifying for the 2007 world cup which has propelled us forward ever since.

In Rankins case, he was told to drop Ireland or face unemployment. Harsh but true. If we were given more funding this scenario could be avoided but good luck getting money from the ICC. To be fair theres no real evidence at the moment of him returning but there is a chance.

The other thing is we simply cant refuse a 140kph bowler. We just cant. We have young bowlers playing county cricket e.g. McCarter but they arent near the 140kph mark yet.

All in all I dont begrudge Rankin. He was put in a very difficult situation...

 

[mithun_minhas]

From what I saw, Rankin is a mediocre bowler. I saw nothing special in him. But I only caught glimpses of him in Ashes.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

From what I saw, Rankin is a mediocre bowler. I saw nothing special in him. But I only caught glimpses of him in Ashes.

He was struggling with injury if i recall. To get a more accurate description of his talent you should check how he did in the 2011 WC in India and Bangladesh. Had a couple of good matches for England in limited overs too I believe

 

[OmaIR1]

Ireland should not take him back in the team. First Ed Joyce was allowed to come back into the team after playing for england and now boyd rankin wants to come back. They are setting a bad example. In future also you will see players playing for england and coming back to ireland if they don't take strict actions now.

i agree with you... you cannot allow this to happen... if this keeps up then ANY good player that plays for Ireland (morgan, joyce, rankin,etc) will eventually end up playing for England and then when they are discarded they will think i can still play for ireland... that's not fair to ireland... Ireland could have already had a decent team

 

[Energetic]

I'm surprised Ireland are not producing quality fast bowlers. Irish people in general are really tall and physically strong compared to their neighbouring countries. If Ireland produce quality pacers then this team can easily surpass Zimbabwe and Bangladesh within a year or 2.

 

[Fallen King]

If ICC approves the test status of Ireland, then Ireland will start to produce decent fast bowlers. Ireland should be allowed to play Test format in International level now. If Bangladesh can play Test format, then why not Ireland. Ireland is ready now. Afghanistan needs more time for Test format.

 

[Random Aussie]

Total farce. If he plays well for Ireland does he come back into the English team?

 

[Robert]

Total farce. If he plays well for Ireland does he come back into the English team?

Well I don't know - did Australia pick Wessels after he went back to SA and scored a few runs?

 

[Convict]

Well I don't know - did Australia pick Wessels after he went back to SA and scored a few runs?

Nope.

Wessels also served the qualifying period.

A comparison would be if Australia selected Tom Cooper for a test, discarded him and he returned to playing for the Netherlands.

 

[Random Aussie]

Well I don't know - did Australia pick Wessels after he went back to SA and scored a few runs?

Its a total farce whether Australia did it or not. FYI we did, with Dirk Nannes - he played for the Netherlands, then we picked him for Australia. Then I think he played for the Dutch again after we were finished with him. Its wrong.

You represent your own country in a representative sport. Countries are not franchises.

 

[James]

I would be happy for Boyd to play for Ireland again, and Morgan too.

If Saffers like KP and Trott pointedly move here to play for England then fair enough, but we should really stop dangling sweet-smelling potatoes at Irish cricketers which (when they do defect) often just ends up spoiling their careers.

 

[trogger]

So people are fine with him playing for ireland now that he flopped for england?

Bit odd really if a born and breed irishman takes 5-40 on debut well then he can be english but if he flops well it's fine he's irish again, as random said it's a farce.

If people had no issue with him playing for england the they should now have an issue with him wanting to play for ireland.

Rules really need to change, rankin was an obvious mercenary pretending to be english just for the chance to play test cricket once he makes that decision there really should be no going back unless he faced serious discrimination for some reason in his adopted country, bowling rubbish isn't a valid reason to change what country you say you represent.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

A lot of negativity towards Rankin here. I can understand it too. But its the ridiculous residency rules of the ICC that has allowed it to happen and the ICC are reluctant to change it unfortunately. I wouldnt blame Rankin tbh. Hes a hard worker and,even if he took 50 wickets in the WC theres no chance of him lining out for England again. I wouldnt blame him personally tbh but I can see where you're coming from

 

[AdidasBeard]

Is the issue of Boyd Rankin's nationality more complicated by the facts that "England" and "Ireland" as defined by cricket teams don't actually exist as sovereign nations. I am saying this as the Irish cricket includes those from North and Republic of Ireland which isn't a country, and there is certainly no such thing as an English passport. As Boyd Rankin is from Northern Ireland he actually grew up in what is part of the UK although he would also be eligible for an Irish passport. Someone who grew up in Northern Ireland therefore surely has the right to choose to play for Ireland or England. Whether he is allowed to switch between the 2 is ofcourse another matter.

 

[Convict]

Yep. The interesting thing is that if cricket were in the Olympics, Rankin would be eligible for the United Kingdom and not for Ireland.

 

[AdidasBeard]

Yep. The interesting thing is that if cricket were in the Olympics, Rankin would be eligible for the United Kingdom and not for Ireland.

Nowadays he would be eligible for whichever he chose as people from Northern Ireland can have both passports. There was a Northern Irish female boxer who won a gold medal for Republic of Ireland and Northern Irish rowers who won gold medals for the UK. Rory Mcilroy has a big choice (and one it sounds like he would rather not have) as golf is in the next olympics. Throughout the rest of the season he represents Northern Ireland in golf.

 

[Bewal Express]

Great news and for once some good rule changes by the ICC. Cricketers from Associates should be allowed to play for a tier one nation and if it doesn`t work out they should be allowed to switch back. This would be an incentive for cricketers from the associates to work harder and hopefully get an opportunity to play for the tier one nations as long as they have some link.

 

[Robert]

You represent your own country in a representative sport. Countries are not franchises.

I think "your own country" is a more flexible concept than that. But then I come from a country which has been represented by Indians, Pakistanis, Caribbeans, Africans from many nations, Antipodeans and Europeans. Lots of people round the world have British passports and HM The Queen is Head of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Yep. The interesting thing is that if cricket were in the Olympics, Rankin would be eligible for the United Kingdom and not for Ireland.

Actually he would be eleigible to represent either Great Britain or Ireland according to his choice.

Representatives of the devolved NI government at Stormont have suggested that Great Britain should be renamed UK at the Olympics.

 

[hadi123]

He shouldnt of been a traitor

 

[Robert]

He shouldnt of been a traitor

To where? He's British.

 

[Big Harvey]

I don't have a problem with Rankin going back to play for Ireland. I have to say I was absolutely staggered when England picked him in the first place.

He is nowhere near good enough to play Test cricket, and I can't say I was even impressed with him as a county player. Now that Ashley Giles has left the England set-up I will be very surprised if he's picked again.

I think there should be special dispensation given to players in his position who want to return to playing for their original non-Test playing country. I also think that if Ireland is given Test status, players like Rankin and Morgan should be offered a one-off chance to choose between Ireland and England without having to serve a qualifying period.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

I disagree with this kind of stuff.

It's like divorcing your wife and chasing after a younger, more beautiful lady then when it's clear you have no future with this lady because you're not good enough for her you go running back to your wife.

 

[leatherface58]

Ed Joyce did the same. So Rankin should be allowed back too. You might do all kinds of stuff to get ahead but in the end you always come home. I'm surprised England haven't poached Stirling yet as an LOI opener. Cook and Lumb aren't a long term pair at all and I doubt Hales will do as well in ODIs.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Ed Joyce did the same. So Rankin should be allowed back too. You might do all kinds of stuff to get ahead but in the end you always come home. I'm surprised England haven't poached Stirling yet as an LOI opener. Cook and Lumb aren't a long term pair at all and I doubt Hales will do as well in ODIs.

Leave Stirling out of this!!

 

[leatherface58]

Re: Boyd Rankin could make Ireland return

Leave Stirling out of this!!

I will. But will the ECB? Not to mention Dockrell as well.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

I will. But will the ECB? Not to mention Dockrell as well.

Dockrells difficult to score off generally but he isnt mysterious or threatening. More often than not he fools batsmen into big shots. Stirlo has lots of promise. I only hope he fulfills it more consistently from now on.

They're guaranteed to stay with us till at least after the 2015 WC. I believe the ECB said that themselves. Cant see either of them lining out for England though

 

[Donal Cozzie]

A day after Boyd Rankin revealed his time on England's Ashes tour led him to contemplate giving up the game, Cricket Ireland has expressed the hope that the fast bowler could still play for them at the 2015 World Cup.

Rankin retired from playing for Ireland towards the end of 2012 and made his England debut last year before playing in the last Test of the Ashes series in January. But, after enduring an unhappy tour, Rankin appears to have slid down the pecking order of prospective England fast bowlers and might be open to the possibility of a return.

While there is a qualifying period of two years for players returning to play for Associate nations after having represented Full Member nations - it was recently reduced from four years - the ICC does have the ability to waive this in the case of exceptional circumstances. Precedent was set when they allowed Ed Joyce to return to Ireland duty less than four years after he represented England. Then, as now, the catalyst was the prospect of a World Cup.

"There is, in the higher echelons of the ICC, some sympathy for the view that the best players for each nation should appear in the World Cup," Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of Cricket Ireland, told ESPNcricinfo.

"There is a sense that it would be a shame if a player like Boyd was not there. And that has given me a sense that all is not lost in the hope to see him playing for Ireland in the World Cup."

Several substantial obstacles remain before such a dream could become a reality, though. Not least, the fact that Rankin himself has not been consulted on the idea and the fact that both the ECB and Warwickshire would have to agree. The ICC would also have to agree to make a special dispensation for Rankin.

While that would, in the short term, be of benefit to Ireland, it might have a less positive impact for Associate nations in the long term. If other players feel there is the prospect of little penalty should they abandon their Associate team in the hope of playing for a Full Member nation, it could lead to a further dilution in the quality of the game below Test level.

William Porterfield, the Ireland captain and a team-mate of Rankin's at Warwickshire, said: "I haven't spoken to Boyd, but I'm pretty sure he still harbours the aspiration of getting into more England sides and doing well for England. But he bowls upwards of 90mph and, if was to become available, then as far as I'm concerned he is more than worthy of a place."

...

 

[Firebreaker]

How can you think of retiring after just one bad match,if it is then Tendulkar should have retired after his debut match.Stupid

 

[OmaIR1]

england left overs

 

[Gigii]

I don't think he'll go back to Ireland. He's still held in pretty high regard in the county scene- been seeing quotes that Trescothick and Ponting have said Rankin's been the best bowler they've faced in county cricket, don't think England will give up on Rankin until he's almost a trundler like Tremlett.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Considered giving up cricket after one bad test? What is it about English cricketers and touring overseas, it seems to turn them into nervous wrecks.

 

[MarkCooper]

I guess this didn't turn out to be true.

He is currently playing for England against Sri Lanka A

 

[Robert]

Considered giving up cricket after one bad test? What is it about English cricketers and touring overseas, it seems to turn them into nervous wrecks.

I blame the coaching staff for a lot of this.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

I don't think he'll go back to Ireland. He's still held in pretty high regard in the county scene- been seeing quotes that Trescothick and Ponting have said Rankin's been the best bowler they've faced in county cricket, don't think England will give up on Rankin until he's almost a trundler like Tremlett.

He's not exactly a young man though is he. Already in his 30s so if he doesn't become a regular in the England side over the next 18 months he can forget about having a meaningful career with them.

 

[OmaIR1]

why? coz he got kicked out from england's team?

this shouldn't be allowed.... going back and forth...

 

[Firebreaker]

Every team except Pakistan are playing A series

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Named in the England Lions squad for one day and first class formats so safe to say this is dead in the water unfortunately.

Very frustrating as its highly unlikely he'll ever get near the England side again

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Yep. The interesting thing is that if cricket were in the Olympics, Rankin would be eligible for the United Kingdom and not for Ireland.

Really late bump but this is incorrect.

People from NI get a choice to represent Ireland or the UK. Rory McIlroy and several boxers obviously consider themselves Irish and not British so have opted to line out for us.

Also, nearly every sport in Ireland is cross border i.e. one association for the whole island. Football is the notable exception. As part of the Good Friday Agreement people from NI may take Irish and/or British citizenship, so Rankin and all the Irish players would be well able to represent Ireland. Considering Cricket Ireland are a united Ireland side its highly likely they would select Ireland anyway.

Confusing I know

 

[cornered paktiger]

Named in the England Lions squad for one day and first class formats so safe to say this is dead in the water unfortunately.

Very frustrating as its highly unlikely he'll ever get near the England side again

That's rough on Ireland. Personally I would change the rules allowing Irish players to play tests for England (unless and until Ireland achieve test status) but continue to play ODIs for Ireland thus not stunting Ireland's development.

 

[Sherlock]

Can't blame him for looking after himself and moving to England but I highly doubt he'll be a starter for the WC or the corresponding fixtures. Feel for Ireland. The sooner this practice is stopped the better.

 

[Energetic]

Teams like Ireland need more Cricket otherwise they will keep on losing players. Ireland has been a big positive for Cricket and ICC must do everything they can to support these teams. They should really by now be playing 12-15 ODIs a year against full members. They can probably match and even beat Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in their conditions. The experience is vital otherwise teams like Ireland will stagnate.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Been widely reported by telegraph and RTE that Rankin is making an irish return!

Brilliant news! Bloody brilliant, an opening partnership of Rankin plus Young is actually alright!

 

[Mamoon]

There is a nice desi idiom that fits this situation perfectly.

Jito de khotay . . . . . .

 

[shaz619]

Personally, Id accept him back immediately. Our only real fast bowler unfortunately.According to the rule changes he would have to wait 2 years but it seems an exemption may be possible. Disappointed he switched to England in the first place but there are rumours that he was told to drop Ireland or lose his county contract (his boss at Warwickshire later went on to pick him for England).

He's a local legend in my area Ireland's Loss was Birmingham's gain; has been an integral part of our success in recent times. That's the thing, there are always going to be better opportunities for these guys in the English County Circuit in terms of finances and it gets to a point where they spend so much time here that they qualify for England.

Am also a big fan of Ed Joyce; mainly because I watched him live when he left a delivery from Mohammad Asif in an ODI what a low blow that was, crowd went absolutely crazy

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Confirmed his return today, will be available from January onwards. Solves a big problem in our team composition.



Warwickshire bowler Boyd Rankin will play for Ireland in the World Twenty20 after switching back from England.

Rankin suffered cramp in his sole Test appearance against Australia in January 2014 then dropped out of favour with the country he switched to in 2012.

"I'm grateful to England for the chance to play Test cricket," said Rankin, 31.

"But with few opportunities in the last two years, I felt it was time to move on at this stage of my career. I'm delighted to be returning for Ireland."

He met with Cricket Ireland last week to seal what is a timely comeback given the imminent World Twenty20 in India.

Rankin's last appearance for England was on 17 January 2014, making him eligible under ICC regulations to play again for Ireland on 18 January 2016.

The Londonderry-born player will therefore be available for the InterContinental Cup match with Papua New Guinea in Australia from 31 January to 3 February and then the ICC World Twenty20 in March.

He made the last of his 82 appearances for Ireland during the 2012 World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, taking 112 wickets at an average of 24.12 before appearing for England 11 times between 2013 and 2014.

"There's a real opportunity for Ireland to get Test status now, and that prospect was a real lure for me - I'd love to be part of history," he added.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/35156178

 

[Mamoon]

Is this equivalent to leaving for superior team in the same league in the summer transfer window and then returning in January, after flopping miserably. For example, Robbie Keane Spurs-Liverpool-Spurs in 2008-2009.

 

[Shutdown Corner]

Should have came back a year earlier. But still has 3-4 years maybe more since he hasn't bowled that much. Hope he gets to play in Irelands maiden Test match!

 

[Thivagar]

English immigrants......

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Boyd Rankin becomes the 15th cricketer to play Test cricket for 2 countries. The previous one was Kepler Wessels 26 years ago <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IREvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IREvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/995243054599680000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Hasan123]

Doesn't seem to be as quick as he once was. Also doesn't seem to have the intention to bowl quick.

 

[Robert]

Doesn't seem to be as quick as he once was. Also doesn't seem to have the intention to bowl quick.

Worn down by the County schedule I expect.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Doesn't seem to be as quick as he once was. Also doesn't seem to have the intention to bowl quick.

Worn down by the County schedule I expect.

Has had various injuries, has to tone down the pace to keep playing.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Has had various injuries, has to tone down the pace to keep playing.

Yes and age as well,he's almost 34

 

[MenInG]

Former England fast bowler Boyd Rankin has confirmed his departure from Warwickshire after more than a decade.

The 34-year-old has signed a central contract with Ireland and is set to feature in their first Test against England in July.

Rankin played in one Test, seven one-day internationals and two T20s for England in 2013 and 2014.

But he pledged his allegiance to Ireland in 2015, having played for them from 2007-2012.

He took Ireland's first Test wicket in the country's inaugural Test appearance against Pakistan last summer and will now focus full-time on Ireland.

He joined Warwickshire from Derbyshire in 2008.

"I have absolutely loved it," he said. "I have been really lucky to spend 15 years in county cricket and 11 at Warwickshire.

"It was with the Bears that my career really took off. When I came to England I was all over the place.

"I was unfit and didn't really understand what was needed to be a professional cricketer.

"Mike Hendrick, at Derbyshire, got me moving in the right direction and then I joined the Bears and I owe the bowling coaches I worked with there so much.

"It has been brilliant to play on the world stage for 10 years and they take a lot of credit for that.

"I would never have dreamed that I would play for England in all formats."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/46988132