A win against Zimbabwe would put Ireland back in a good position to take a quarter-final spot at the Cricket World Cup, according to Niall O’Brien, who described the game as “huge”.
Flying high after two wins in their opening games against the West Indies and the United Arab Emirates, Ireland came crashing down to earth with a 201-run defeat to South Africa on Tuesday.
They must now get themselves back on track for their next game against Zimbabwe on Saturday morning (live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport).
Speaking to RTÉ Sport’s John Kenny, O’Brien said that Ireland had to put the South African game behind them and concentrate on what will be a “huge game for both teams.
“If we can get a good result in Hobart, and we’re three wins from four, I think people will forget about [the South African] match pretty quickly.”
O’Brien’s team-mate, Andrew Balbirnie, was also looking to take the positives from Ireland’s loss as they approach the Zimbabwe game.
Balbirnie’s 58 was a highlight of Ireland’s innings, and continued a fine run of form for the young batsman.
“It’s a shame it was a losing 50, but, you know, I’ll take a lot of confidence in that going into Saturday, and hopefully we can put in a good performance.”
