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2) Ireland
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup hosted by West Indies was Ireland's first ever appearance in the showpiece event. It was a 'Dream World Cup' debut for the Irish players, as they finished eighth in the 16 team tournament having reached the Super 8 stage. Ireland's first ever World Cup game ended in a dramatic tie against Zimbabwe at Jamaica after the teams finished on 221 in 50 overs. In their second Group D fixture against the 1992 World Champions Pakistan at the Sabina Park, Ireland registered a famous and surprising three wicket win (D/L method) chasing 128 (revised target) for victory in 47 overs.
This win garnered millions of fans for the Irishmen across the cricketing fraternity. They were praised for the quality of play, spirit of cricket and most importantly for believing in their team's abilities. The team led by captain Trent Johnston introduced some of the stars like William Porterfield, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien and Eoin Morgan to the world. In the 2011 edition of the World Cup, they finished eleventh out of 14 teams after winning just two out of their six Group B matches. They registered victories against England (by three wickets) and Netherlands (by six wickets) thereby finishing sixth in the seven team Group B standings.
In the game against England at Bengaluru, Ireland chased down a target of 328 in 49.1 overs- thanks to a brilliant 113(63) by all rounder Kevin O'Brien. After losing their skipper William Portefield for a duck in the very first ball of their innings, Ireland manged a dramatic win with Alex Cusack and John Mooney too contributing with the bat down the order. In the 2015 World Cup (Australia and New Zealand), Ireland finished ninth among 14 teams winning three wins out of six matches thereby exiting the tournament in group stage.
With England hosting the 2019 World Cup, Ireland would have received immense support had they qualified for the tournament. Unfortunately that did not happen as they finished fifth at the 2018 ICC World Cup qualifiers this March and the fans will surely miss the Irishmen in the 2019 summer.
ICC Cricket World Cup stats: Played-22, Won-7, Lost-14, Tied-1, No Result-0
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