Simmons hopeful of Twenty20 progression

Ireland's cricket coach Phil Simmons says he will be disappointed if his side does not make the last eight of the global Twenty20 tournament being staged in England next month.

The former West Indian Test player was speaking at a news conference at the Stormont Ground as his players prepared to leave for a series of warm-up games and an intensive training camp before the tournament get under way at Trent Bridge on Monday, 8 June.

Surrounded by the players who clinched a remarkable win over Worcestershire in the Friends Provident Trophy last week, Simmons said: 'The win against Worcestershire was exactly what we needed in our last competitive game before the Twenty20.

'It was also achieved without our top county players which says a lot for the depth of the squad. We will, of course, have everyone available and I’ll be very disappointed if we don’t make our mark.'

Their first game at Trent Bridge will be against Bangladesh followed two days later against the powerful Indians. A win in either game would almost certainly take Ireland into the quarter finals.

Simmons says: 'Obviously our best chance lies in the game against Bangladesh, but the beauty of Twenty20 cricket is its unpredictability. We will be going into the warm up games and the tournament in confident mood.'

Vice captain Kyle McCallan was also confident the side would acquit themselves well: 'We're relishing the opportunity to showcase Irish cricket on the world stage again. The 2007 World Cup in the West Indies was a fabulous experience for all concerned, and I’m sure it’ll be the same again in England.

'It'll be a wonderful experience playing in front of sell out crowds, and I’m sure there will be plenty of Irish supporters adding to what I’m sure will be an incredible atmosphere.”

McCallan added: 'I know just how much all the guys are looking forward to it, and if we play to our capabilities, we have a genuine chance of progression. We’re well prepared and have already played a lot of cricket this year. The conditions in England will be more familiar to our players than our opposition, so that's obviously a big advantage to us.'