Photo Credit: Sportsfile
Following a record-breaking win for Ireland yesterday that saw Ireland Men win their first-ever bilateral T20 International series against a Full Member, wicketkeeper Neil Rock was speaking about his first series playing for the senior side and his hopes for a big finish to the series.
Rock, 20, made his international debut in the first game of the current series and has settled quickly into the senior set up. He has played for both Munster Reds and Northern Knights in the domestic inter-provincial series, and has appeared 30 times for Ireland Wolves and Ireland Academy sides, and was part of the Under-19s World Cup side in 2018.
Speaking from the team hotel following the win over Zimbabwe in the fourth T20I of the current series, he said:
“It’s nice to have wrapped up the series with a game to go, but we want to carry on winning and take momentum into the ODI series. Saturday at Bready will be a sell-out crowd, so hopefully we can put in another good performance and finish the series on a high.”
“I think we’ve played really well the last two games particularly. The pitches have been slightly tricky, but the lads have still managed to put a good total on the board and then the bowlers – as they have been all series – have been really clinical. To bowl a team out in a T20 is a great effort, as we did the other day, and then yesterday they finished nine-down which I think is a sign of how well the lads have bowled.”
“For me, I’ve been around the squad for a couple of series now which gave me a bit of an idea of what international cricket was going to be like, but to finally make my debut and represent my country is a great honour – and to then go and win the series too has made it a whole lot better!”
WATCHING THE GAME
Saturday’s final match of the T20I series is sold out, but Cricket Ireland will make the broadcast of the match available for fans in Ireland and the UK via a livestream on Twitter. Visit @cricketireland on Twitter for the link.
Cricket Ireland, officially known as The Irish Cricket Union Company Limited by Guarantee, is the governing body for cricket on the island of Ireland. It oversees the national men’s and women’s teams and organizes the Inter-Provincial Series, Super 3s, and All-Ireland club competitions. Ireland achieved Test status for women in 2000 and for men in 2017 when it became a Full Member of the ICC.
