Ireland has produced some very talented cricket players over the years, including slips, sweepers, and wicket-keepers.
Arguably the greatest cricketer ever to play for Ireland (as distinct from the greatest Irish cricketer) is alive and well and living his 90th year in a secluded, fashionable area in Dun Laoghaire. There are some of the best Irish cricket players to ever live, so if you’re a native of Ireland and are aspiring to play cricket professionally then these people should be your idols.
Must Read: Top 10 Most Popular Sports in the United Kingdom
Examples of players on this list: Enda McDermott, Ryan Haire, and more.
1) Adrian King:
Adrian is the player who is always encouraging his team. First capped in 1996, he played in the ICC Trophy in Malaysia. Since then he has improved his technique with hard work and coaching and has become a graceful middle-order batsman who is also a brilliant fielder. He plays for Netanya CC and has consistently been well placed in the national batting averages over the past few seasons.
His best performance, 3/23 from seven overs, came against Bangladesh, while he also recorded figures of 2/15 against Malaysia and 2/23 against Papua New Guinea. King last played for Bermuda in January 1983, in a series of games against Jamaica.
2) Alan Lewis
Alan is the third most capped player in the history of Irish Cricket. He might well be higher up the list but for an arm injury sustained against M.C.C. in 1996 which meant he was out of the side for the next 8 matches.
He captained Ireland in the 1994 I.C.C. Trophy in Kenya, succeeding the unluckily Stephen Warke who broke his elbow on the day before the first Irish match in the competition.
2 Min Read: Top 5 England bowlers of all-time
3) Brendan O’Brien:
Brendan Anthony O’Brien (born 2 September 1942) is a former Irish cricketer. O’Brien was a right-handed batsman. He was born at Galway, County Galway.
O’Brien made his first-class debut for Ireland in 1966 against Scotland. From 1966 to 1981, he represented Ireland in 11 first-class matches, the last of which came against Scotland.[1] In his 11 first-class matches, he scored 319 runs at a batting average of 19.93, with a high score of 45*.
4) Dominick Joyce:
Dominick Ignatius Joyce is a former Irish cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he has played 69 times for the Ireland cricket team including three One Day Internationals, six first-class matches, and twenty List A matches.
He took part in Ireland’s first ODI against England in 2006 – he made 0 – and was left out for subsequent tournaments, including the 2007 World Cup, but returned to the side later in the year as opportunities came with other absences.
Also Read: Top 10 Richest Cricketers in England till now
5) Ed Joyce:
Ed Joyce is best known as the Ireland batsman who played for two different countries in successive World Cups. Joyce had switched to England when the 2007 World Cup took place, having helped Irelands through the qualifying tournament, and became the first Irishman in the modern game to play for England.
But he did not quite achieve the career he had envisaged and switched back to Ireland just in time for the next tournament in 2011. He had not quite achieved the four-year qualification period, but the ICC recognized a persuasive case and gave him a special dispensation.
We have more Cricket players in the list who deserve an honorable mention are Enda McDermott, George Dockrell, James MacDonnell, Andrew Poynter, Dun Laoghaire, Dave Langford-Smith, John Mooney, Justin Benson, Mary-Pat Moore, and Miriam Grealey.
So this was the list of the top 5 most popular cricket players from Ireland. Feel free to share your opinion in the comments down below and tell us what sport do you like?
Leave a Reply