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Joyce hoping for Irish clash
Ed Joyce is praying for the right sequence of results to ensure an emotional showdown with Ireland in the next stage of the World Cup.
Dublin-born Joyce qualified to play for England two years ago having helped Ireland’s progress towards this tournament and is now on course for a reunion.
He made his one-day international debut against Ireland in Belfast last summer and has since established himself at the top of the order for England’s World Cup campaign.
But he was not expecting the chance to meet his former team-mates in the Super Eight stage of the tournament, which became a major possibility following Ireland’s stunning victory over Pakistan.
Providing England qualify from Group C, which they will do if they beat Kenya on Saturday, they will face Ireland in Guyana on March 30 - as long as Zimbabwe do not repeat Ireland’s stunning success by beating Pakistan in their final match.
Ed Joyce on his England one-day debut against Ireland
“I played against Ireland in my first game for England so that was a bit of a strange one and it would be an interesting contest if we met them in the next stage,” admitted Joyce.
“They would obviously be very confident if they got that far and it would be a big day for everyone. It should be a great atmosphere because I hear the Irish have taken over Kingston, which is typical of them.
“I wouldn’t have foreseen that England’s first game in the Super Eight might be against Ireland but I think there are few more games to go before that, with us playing at the weekend and Ireland playing the West Indies.
“I’ve texted a few of the boys and the coach, who said he was hiding behind the pavilion during the game (against Pakistan). If we did play Ireland it would be a brilliant day, great for the fans and I’m sure they’d enjoy themselves.”
Like everyone else, Joyce has been surprised by Ireland’s shock triumph over Pakistan - arguably the biggest in World Cup history - and conceded: “My big hope for Ireland in their first tournament like this was that they do themselves justice.
“It’s hard in your first tournament and it’s easy to become overawed by it but I think the captain Trent Johnson has been brilliant.
“Having spoken to a few of them after the games, he has sat them down, told them what to expect and told them how to go about things.
“They’ve done that really well. They would never have thought they would beat Pakistan and they look like they might go through to the Super Eight now, which is brilliant.”
Before Joyce can begin visualising an Irish reunion, though, England first have to get beyond Kenya, World Cup semi-finalists four years ago in South Africa and a team who potentially could cause problems.
"We’ve seen Bangladesh and Ireland do well and Canada did well against us the other day as well so I think all the minnows are doing pretty well and they’ve all improved hugely,” Joyce added.
“I’ve played against Kenya quite a bit and they are not a bad side. They field well, bowl well and they’ve got some big batters, and we’ve got to make sure we’re right on our game to do well.
“They beat Canada by seven wickets so they are obviously a better side than them. I think they’re pretty strong and they will be a good test.”
England expect captain Michael Vaughan to be fit to lead them despite a scare during practice on Tuesday, when he was forced to have ice treatment on his troublesome right knee after stumbling in a pot-hole.
