World T20 2016: Ireland Aiming to Punch Above Their Weight

By: Tarish Bhatt

The preliminary round of the World T20 has started, with eight teams battling it out for the two qualifying places in the second round of the competition.

Ireland, also known as the giant killers, are one of the teams that would be aiming to move into the second phase, and seeing their previous performances in the ICC tournaments, it is very much on the cards.

But before thinking about the second round, Ireland have a massive task in hand of going past Bangladesh, who are in a fine form lately.

The Irish, however, are looking confident of reaching the next round of the World T20, and facing teams like India, New Zealand and others.

When asked about whether Ireland are nervous playing big boys in the later stages, Niall O’Brien said they are looking forward to take on big teams in the competition.

“Not at all, no way! We are looking forward to play all those sides! In fact, we are quite looking forward to play India, Pakistan and others in the Super-10 stages,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien, who has been Ireland’s batting mainstay for quite a long time, has struggled to score big for his side. But, he is not much worried about it.

“Nah, not too much. I do not really think too much,” O’Brien insisted. “What is gone is gone. Right now I am just concentrating on my upcoming innings.”