Ireland geared up

17 March 2008

Ireland gained a lot of support during the 2007 World Cup in West Indies © Getty Images

Coach Phil Simmons has implemented an alcohol ban on his Ireland players as they prepare for their one-day international with Bangladesh in Mirpur on Tuesday.

Ireland - ranked 10th in the International Cricket Council ratings, thanks largely to their exploits at last year’s World Cup - have the opportunity to inflict a second successive defeat on Bangladesh.

Their last meeting with Bangladesh was at that tournament - and they famously won their Super Eight match in Bridgetown, by 74 runs.

Bangladesh have not won in 12 ODIs since the World Cup.

“It was a case that I'd come in after the World Cup when everything was on a high. The guys had played a lot of cricket from January, and there were things that I had to ease in,” said Simmons.

“One of these is fitness, and the other is the consumption of alcohol. It's been proven that these do have an affect - look at the alcohol ban in place at clubs in English football.

“This is the direction I want to move the squad in.”