Johnston upbeat over chances

Trent Johnston claims Ireland spirits are high going into the tournament © Getty Images

Skipper Trent Johnston insists Ireland can spring a surprise at the World Cup.

The Irish have been drawn with Pakistan, Zimbabwe and hosts West Indies in Group D of the competition, which will be played at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

Johnston boldly predicted an upset following two stirring performances in his side’s warm-up matches against South Africa and Canada in Trinidad last week.

“We are going into our first match of the World Cup against Zimbabwe with a lot of confidence,” he said.

“To have the number one team in the world [South Africa] 80 for nine on a reasonable pitch was obviously an outstanding performance.

“Unfortunately, we could not finish the job, and Andrew Hall had a good game with bat and ball. We also did well to bowl Canada out cheaply and we won that game.

“If there was one weakness in our game before we came for the World Cup, it would have been our bowling, but this definitely has not been the case since we arrived.

Johnston takes heart from his side's displays with the ball

“We are full of confidence and we can’t wait until March 15, when we get going against Zimbabwe.”

Johnston also believes an upset is on the cards because of the unpredictable nature of Pakistan and West Indies - the two established sides in the group - and the relative inexperience of Zimbabwe.

“I am not saying that we have come here to win three games, but we have come here to be very competitive, and it has been shown in the two warm-up games,” he said.

Though Johnston reckons batting is Ireland’s strength, he realises bowling and fielding will be key to their making an impact on the competition.

“We will be going into each and every game looking to execute our plans,” he said.

“If we can bowl well in this competition, I can see our batting bringing it home and, indeed, we can cause an upset the way we did when we beat West Indies three years ago in Belfast, chasing that huge total of 290.”

The World Cup opening ceremony takes place on Monday at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, with the opening match on Tuesday between Pakistan and West Indies.