"There's no reason why we can't (win)" : Kevin O'Brien

[Abdullah719]

Kevin O'Brien believes his latest hundred can be the springboard for a dramatic Ireland success just as his last one set up a stunning World Cup victory over England seven years ago.

O'Brien was the toast of Ireland again at Malahide on Monday as he marked their debut Test with the country's maiden three-figure score at this level, an innings that gives them a chance of an unlikely win against Pakistan.

Ireland ended the fourth day of this one-off match on 319 for seven, a lead of 139 runs, after being made to follow-on.

They were in danger of an innings defeat when O'Brien came in at 95 for four on Monday, with Ireland still 85 runs adrift of Pakistan's 310 for nine declared.

But O'Brien responded with a composed 118 not out and together with Stuart Thompson, who made a valuable 53, turned the tide in a century partnership for the seventh wicket.

It was a similar story in India seven years ago when O'Brien walked out to bat at 106 for four, with Ireland chasing an England total of 327.

But his 50-ball century, still the quickest in a World Cup match, powered Ireland to a superb win.

Monday's innings was O'Brien's first hundred for Ireland in 169 matches in all formats since his Bangalore bonanza and meant the Irish had a shot at becoming only the fourth side in the 141-year history of men's Test cricket to win after following-on.

"It's a very proud and emotional moment," O'Brien told reporters after stumps.

"Hopefully now we've put ourselves in a good position to try and go ahead and win it. There's no reason why we can't (win)."

O'Brien, however, said the Bangalore hundred remained his best innings -- at least for the time being.

- 'Bangalore number one'

"I still think for me Bangalore is definitely number one, just for the sheer moment it was and against who it was, in the World Cup.

"If I can continue on tomorrow for another hour and a half, that 118 changes to 170-odd, this could top it."

Pakistan recalled left-arm paceman Mohammad Amir -- who had already dismissed Ireland captain William Porterfield, O'Brien's brother Niall and their fellow top-order batsman Gary Wilson to reach 100 Test wickets earlier on Monday -- when Kevin O'Brien was on 99.

But an edged two against Amir, not his best shot perhaps, saw the 34-year-old O'Brien to three figures in 186 balls with 10 fours.

"They sniffed an opportunity to try and get me out on 99 and fortunately another thick edge went past the fielder and I got two runs," said O'Brien.

"It was just relief, really. Emotional -- first Test and all that.

"My mum and dad don't miss a game and my wife was there as well, and obviously Niall's in the side. I'm very proud."

- 'Bite you back' -

Pakistan's Azhar Ali praised O'Brien for a "composed knock" of more than five hours, saying it had been a "very special innings".

The tourists might have already won this match, however, had they not dropped both Ireland openers, Ed Joyce and skipper Porterfield, in single figures off Amir on Sunday.

Azhar, who missed Porterfield in the slips, said: "Obviously any time in Test cricket you drop catches, you give chances to the other team and it bites you back.

"But the way our bowlers bowled today, especially in the first session, I think they got the game back in our hands but, again, the innings of Kevin O'Brien was a very special one," added Azhar, who has 14 Test hundreds to his credit.

Amir was repeatedly on and off the field Monday after a chronic knee injury flared up again on Sunday.

It was a concerning sight for Pakistan ahead of a back-to-back two-Test series against England that starts at Lord's on May 24, but Azhar said: "We are hoping the injury he's had is not much and we are pretty confident it's not going to take too long (to heal)."

Kevin O'Brien on his way to a historic first century for Ireland in Test cricket, against Pakistan on Monday

https://au.news.yahoo.com/obrien-ey...elands-first-test-century-203718758--spt.html

 

[Deewana Mastana]

Had they played with a bit more purpose they could have been near 200 in lead by the end of today.

Still 80-120 more and Pakistan will be feeling a lot of pressure of chasing 200+ on a last day.

 

[JaDed]

Yer Kev good innings but not happening unless PCT implodes.

 

[hur rizvi]

Yer Kev good innings but not happening unless PCT implodes.

That happens 8/10 for Pakistan in 4th inings

I dont even remember when was the last time we chased comfortably. Ireland already have enough to make Pakistan panic.

As a test fan I do hope weather doesnt make it a draw. Either IReland win, PAk Win or its a draw players should have to grind for it tomorrow

 

[hadi123]

Game on. Would be great for Ireland if they win, but obviously supporting Pakistan a lot

 

[MenInG]

The losing captain William Porterfield speaks

"It would have made for a very interesting game had lead got close to 200 runs and had we been able to break that partnership [between Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam] it could be a very interesting finish. There were a hell of a lot of good things to come out of this game, we played a lot of good cricket. There were a few nerves but the way we fought in the second innings was a great effort. That’s the character we’ve had and to be able to bring that into first Test is pleasing. One of the things we talked about is regardless of what happens is winning that next session, and after the morning session yesterday losing four wickets to end up losing only seven in the day was a massive effort. The focus now is on T20 cricket for next six weeks, there's quite a lot of cricket to look forward to throughout the summer."


Player of the match, Ireland's first Test centurion Kevin O'Brien speaks

"A slightly better morning session for us and we could have pushed Pakistan harder, it was disappointing not to get those extra 40/50 runs. I struggled with forgetting about yesterday, all the reaction on social media and everything, that was the toughest part. It was mentally draining, I'm not used to batting five and a half hours. IJust played the situation. I needed to stick in there and rotate the strike. I'm renowned for slogging the ball but with the game situation as it was I reined myself in a bit."

 

[Robert]

Congrats to KOB for Ireland’s maiden test hundred!

 

[Abid Z]

There should be more matches with Ireland in May June. Really good test of Pakistan batsmen

 

[Suleiman]

This man has Pakistan's number, address, passport, etc. Always shines against us. He also led Ireland to tie the ODI series 1-1 against us in 2013 when IRE were set to lose.

 

[PakLFC]

Ireland have nothing to be ashamed off. They put up a good fight in their debut test. In the future I see them being a tough team to defeat though they'll also be incredibly boring to watch

 

[hadi123]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kevin O’Brien made the second best start in terms of rating points (440) for batsmen from sides playing their first Test and the best by a batsman from a debutant side since the first ever Test 141 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/996725669265539072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Yesterday Kevin O’Brien joined an elite list of cricketers to have scored hundreds in all three formats of international cricket.

His 62-ball 124 against Hong Kong was Ireland’s first century in T20Is, and ensured a spot in the record books as he joined the likes of Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle in having achieved the triple of a century in each of Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

His first international ton came less than a year after his Ireland debut, smacking 142 from only 125 balls against Kenya during the ICC World Cricket League Division One. More memorable for many was his 113 against England just over four years later, at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2011, when he took Ireland from seemingly down and out to a famous final over victory.

Kevin O'Brien shot to fame when he guided Ireland to victory over England at the World CupKevin O'Brien shot to fame when he guided Ireland to victory over England at the World Cup
O’Brien has recently made the move to opening in T20s, and was extremely happy to have registered Ireland’s maiden T20I century from his new position. However, he is already looking ahead to Ireland’s next challenge: “It’s obviously a very proud moment to score the first T20I century for Ireland. I’m very happy with the way it’s turning out since moving to the top of the order, and hopefully the form can continue for the next 2 to 3 weeks leading into the World Cup Qualifier.”

During their inaugural Test in May of last year O’Brien also became Ireland’s maiden Test centurion finishing with 118 in their second innings against Pakistan. In addition to this unique double of maiden Test and T20I centuries for his country, he joins a list of just 13 other players to have scored a ton in all three international formats, the full list being: Rohit Sharma, Glenn Maxwell, Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Martin Guptill, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ahmed Shehzad, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tamim Iqbal, Suresh Raina, Mahela Jayawardene, and now Kevin O’Brien.

Despite his new illustrious company O’Brien is focused on the task at hand, namely qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia. He is confident of Ireland’s form going into the Qualifier despite a recent hiccup against Oman during their warm-ups, where Ireland lost by 43 runs.

“The squad is progressing nicely and, despite a little setback against Oman, all-in-all we’re playing some good cricket. We’re putting up some good totals, we’re fielding very well in most games, and we’re starting to improve slowly with the ball. We’ve still got three games before the first Qualifier match in Abu Dhabi, so if we can continue this trend we’ll be in a good position. Fingers crossed we can use the next three games as good preparation and look to win all three - they’ll be three tough games so we’ll have to play well.”

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1402677

 

[sweep_shot]

Well done, Kevin.

He is possibly the best batsman from Ireland. I rate him higher than Stirling.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Well done, Kevin.

He is possibly the best batsman from Ireland. I rate him higher than Stirling.

I disagree here. He is without doubt the most important cricketer we've ever produced, and an absolutely clutch player in big game situations, but he has gone through stretches of lean form.

He loves the big occasion though. The two CPL seasons he had, England 2011, 2007 WC, the inaugural Test vs Pakistan, he loves performing when the world is watching. A very rare and great trait for a player to have

I dont think he's better than Stirling though. People might laugh but Stirling I am convinced had he gotten the facilities and coaching available to players in India etc would've made every side in the game. I think he's that good on his day. Hit a century on a green wicket vs Pakistan in 2011 and 2013 when in his late teens and early twenties as an attacking opening batsman is no mean feat, and he'll break many of our records during his career.

But the best ever is easily Ed Joyce. Not even in doubt. 19000 county cricket runs.

 

[sweep_shot]

I disagree here. He is without doubt the most important cricketer we've ever produced, and an absolutely clutch player in big game situations, but he has gone through stretches of lean form.

He loves the big occasion though. The two CPL seasons he had, England 2011, 2007 WC, the inaugural Test vs Pakistan, he loves performing when the world is watching. A very rare and great trait for a player to have

I dont think he's better than Stirling though. People might laugh but Stirling I am convinced had he gotten the facilities and coaching available to players in India etc would've made every side in the game. I think he's that good on his day. Hit a century on a green wicket vs Pakistan in 2011 and 2013 when in his late teens and early twenties as an attacking opening batsman is no mean feat, and he'll break many of our records during his career.

But the best ever is easily Ed Joyce. Not even in doubt. 19000 county cricket runs.

You are right. Stirling is of course the most consistent Irish batsman. But, Kevin O'Brien is more valuable when it comes to big games. His innings against England in 2011 WC was one of the best ODI innings I have seen.

Stirling can cement his legacy if he wins some big games like Kevin did.

 

[King_Kohli]

15 years after Kevin O’Brien stepped onto the field at Stormont to play in his first One Day International for Ireland, the legendary all-rounder has called time on his 50-over international career, leaving behind a record-breaking and enviable playing history that has made him a household name around the cricket world.

The 37-year old Dubliner finishes his ODI career having appeared 153 times in that format, amassing 3,618 runs (Ireland’s third-highest ODI run scorer) at an average of 29.41 and a strike rate of 88.72, and took 114 wickets – ending as Ireland’s highest wicket taker in ODI cricket (Boyd Rankin is second on the list with 96 ODI wickets).

To further underscore his all-round contributions to the ODI squad, O’Brien also finishes with Ireland’s most number of catches in the field (68) in ODI cricket, and even captained the side on four occasions, registering three wins.

While there are debates about his most impactful innings in ODI cricket, few will doubt his most memorable was the record-breaking 113 in the 2011 ICC World Cup against England. During the innings he brought up his century off just 50 balls – ten years on, this is still the fastest century ever achieved at a World Cup.

O’Brien has been surrounded by cricket his whole life – his father Brendan (known as Ginger) and older brother Niall played 51 and 216 times for Ireland respectively – but has built his own career and reputation through performances across all three formats of the game for Ireland. However, he has made the decision to close the book on his ODI career to concentrate on T20 cricket, and in the hope of adding to the three Test caps he has to date.


Announcing his decision, O’Brien said:

“After 15 years playing for Ireland, I feel now is the right time to step away and retire from ODI cricket. It has been an honour and a privilege to represent my country 153 times and the memories I take from them will last a lifetime.”

“This has not been an easy decision, but after ongoing consideration I don’t feel I can contribute to the ODI team as much as I have in the past. The hunger and love for the ODI format is no longer the same as it was and it wouldn’t be fair to Andrew, Graham, the team and our supporters to continue to play while no longer feeling at 100%.”

“I’ve had some unbelievable moments with the team since 2006 - the three World Cups, the personal successes and spending time travelling and playing all over the world, but I will now shift my focus and remain fully committed to T20 cricket - with two world cups in the next 18 months - and hoping to add to my three caps in Test cricket.”


Graham Ford, Ireland Men’s head coach, said:

“Kevin has played an enormous role in the development of Irish cricket and has delivered regularly on the world stage - particularly in the ODI format.”

“It’s been a pleasure to work with him as part of the ODI squad, and he has been a true role model for many teammates over the years.”

“I look forward to continuing to work with Kevin in other formats, and while his decision to step away from ODI cricket is sad, he can do so in the knowledge that he leaves an indelible legacy on the ODI game in Ireland and around the world.”


Andrew Balbirnie, Ireland Men’s captain, said:

“We’re losing a big figure in our ODI squad – someone who has played over 150 ODIs for Ireland, and has been there since the very first one in 2006. He’s someone a lot of us in the team, and many who have gone before us, have looked up to.”

“He’s consistently put in the big performances on the biggest stages, and he’ll always be remembered for that amazing world cup innings in 2011 – and that innings alone probably gave many of us the opportunity to become professional cricketers in Ireland. I think everyone within Irish cricket owes a huge amount to Kevin O’Brien for what he’s done for the sport in this country. I’m delighted that he’ll still be playing T20s and Test cricket for Ireland, because he’s a big player in those formats and I have no doubt he will make many more contributions in those formats of the game.”

“We’re losing a big personality in the ODI squad, and a really good friend, but this is not the end of Kevin O’Brien and I look forward to seeing what he can do in the other two formats.”

https://www.cricketireland.ie/news/article/kevin-obrien-announces-retirement-from-odi-cricket

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On the occasion of his ODI retirement, watch <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinOBrien113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KevinOBrien113</a>’s epic match-winning knock against England from the 2011 <a href="https://twitter.com/cricketworldcup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cricketworldcup</a> &#55357;&#56485;&#55357;&#56573;️<a href="https://t.co/qwhKMzKfPR">pic.twitter.com/qwhKMzKfPR</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1405920391734841344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Ab Fan]

That was an all-time great performance from Kevin O'Brien. Sensational stuff. Really enjoyed that knock.

50- ball 100 in a 329 run chase.