Ireland vs Netherlands : Minnows are fully charged

Some may feel that motivation might be a factor for Ireland when they take on co- associates Netherlands, but skipper William Porterfield feels that pride will be at stake when they face the Dutch in what could be their last appearance at the showpiece event.

Speaking on the eve of the encounter at the Eden Gardens, Porterfield said a World Cup match would always remain special even if it might have no consequence on the team’s fate.

“ We might have failed to qualify for the knockout stages, but a World Cup match’s significance will always remain the same. If playing in the biggest tournament of the 50- over game doesn’t motivate us, what will? “ A match against an associate team will pump us further. We will play for pride and go back with our heads held high. Even fans back home wouldn’t expect anything less than a win from us,” the Irish skipper said.

However, the team would approach Friday’s game just like any other. “ There would be no change in approach from our side. We will remain as fiercely competitive as we have been right through the tournament,” he said.

Commenting on the positives for the team from this tournament, Porterfield said: “ The fact that our fierce commitment while we are fielding has been noticed by all the top teams and critics is something we appreciate. We have put in a lot of effort on the field and getting recognised makes us feel good.” Coach Phil Simmons feels the basic change between the past Irish teams and the present one is the way the opposition looks at them. “ Earlier we weren’t considered much of a threat and were mere pushovers. But now we have started to earn the respect of the big teams. While we played to compete earlier, we play to win now,” he said.

“ It would be great if we get to play more matches.” Meanwhile, Netherlands captain Peter Borren feels having wasted a few opportunities, Friday’s game would give them a great chance to register their first win of the tournament.

“ We want to go back with our heads held high. While we failed to contain the English batsmen in our opening match after putting runs on the board, our middle- order crumbled in the match against Bangladesh. So we would look to win our first match of the tournament,” he said.

“ We are not going to hold back. We will come hard against the Irish guys and if they think they will have it easy, they can be complacent at their own cost. “ Our record against Ireland hasn’t been something to write home about in the last few encounters, but we would like to change that.”