Ireland's cricketers are back in action this Friday, and on home soil too, as they take on England at Malahide in a One-Day International
The World Cup is barely in the rear-view mirror but the cricketing calendar is a relentless beast and the visit of our near neighbours kickstarts an important summer for continued Irish progress as a cricketing nation.
So what are the big talking points around this coming match?
Have Ireland appointed a new coach to replace Phil Simmons?
Simmons, who guided Ireland at the past two World Cups and maintained our status as the world's top non-Test playing side, has departed to take charge of his native West Indies. Last week came confirmation of his replacement, John Bracewell, who will be at the England game in an observational capacity but appears to be a hire of real substance, a former player and coach for his native New Zealand and the winner of five one-day trophies while in charge of Gloucestershire.
What is at stake?
On the surface, you might think not a great deal, but Ireland have yet to beat one of the established top-eight nations on home soil and victory would be yet another important staging post on the long road to the promised land of full Test status. Ireland have gained a deserved reputation for shocks at major tournaments, but need to find a way to record the same wins on a more regular basis, and those opportunities have proved few and far between with the limited number of visits by top class opposition to this island. Ireland have moved above Zimbabwe to tenth in the ICC's one-day rankings, and an England scalp would provide further valuable rankings points.
Away from the rankings tables, it is the first time the Irish squad will have reconvened since the World Cup, and a good showing will be a real confidence boost at the start of a summer that includes a four-day match against the UAE next month, the World T2o qualifiers in July and another one-dayer against new world champions Australia in August.
How is the Irish side looking?
Ireland's side will look a lot like the one that won three games at the World Cup, with captain William Porterfield leading a squad that includes Ed Joyce, Paul Stirling, John Mooney and Niall and Kevin O'Brien to name but a few. Bowler Tim Murtagh missed the World Cup and is again absent with a hamstring injury.
What about England?
Yeah, not so much. With England reeling from their failure to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup and just returned from a disappointing drawn Test series in the Caribbean, selectors have opted to rest some of their big names in favour of getting a look at some young players. James Taylor captains the side, while Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan make for an experienced pair to lead the bowling attack. It's disappointing for fans here to miss out on seeing England's first string, but that does leave the door wide open for Ireland to spring a surprise.
Where's Eoin Morgan then?
Dublin-born Morgan, who captained England to their disastrous World Cup exit, is currently coining it in for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. Also absent is former Ireland pace bowler Boyd Rankin, who took his chances by declaring for England in 2012, but has only featured in one Test match and has not played an ODI in over a year.
Are there any tickets left and what's the weather looking like?
Cricket Ireland are expecting a full house of 10,000 at Malahide Cricket Club but there are still some tickets available at €45. Unfortunately the weather doesn't look all that promising, with forecasts predicting showers throughout the day.
