Anthony Ireland
Encyclopedia
Anthony John Ireland is a cricket
er from Zimbabwe. A tall fast bowler, he relies on bounce and swing, and performed consistently during his tenure with Zimbabwe, taking 38 wickets in just 26 matches at a healthy average of 29.34. He was one of many talented white Zimbabweans to leave the team due to the situation of the ZCU and the country, to pursue careers in English domestic cricket, where he represented Gloucestershire
for four seasons before joining Middlesex
for the 2011 season.
at Bulawayo
on 24 August 2005 where he took the wickets of both Stephen Fleming
and Chris Cairns. He performed consistently with the ball, being one of the few prospects on the Zimbabwe team, after the exodus of players like Gavin Ewing
, Andy Blignaut
, Henry Olonga
, Andy Flower
and Tatenda Taibu
. However, even with his performances Zimbabwe cricket continued on its downturn, as they gradually became weaker and weaker as an international side.
He toured the West Indies with the Zimbabwean team but broke his left hand in practice. Although he recovered, he struggled to adapt to the West Indian conditions, as Zimbabwe were thrashed 5-0 by the hosts.
A regular member of the side in 2006, he was selected in the 2007 Cricket World Cup
squad and returned to the Caribbean
, taking a wicket in each of his games.
Zimbabwe was at an all time low at this point in time, and Ireland, soon after Zimbabwe were eliminated from the 2007 Cricket World Cup, retired from international cricket. He explained his decision in an exclusive interview with Cricinfo. He felt he was wasting his talents for a poor side, in a country in political turmoil, and felt that he should pursue his cricket elsewhere, and so Anthony Ireland went to England.
, Ireland enjoyed a successful season in 2004 for club teams Belvoir CC and Belton Park CC, before returning to Zimbabwe. He played for the PCA Masters against Gloucestershire in a game before the England vs Pakistan Twenty20 international, at Bristol
. He has since played for Thornbury Cricket Club in the south west of England.
Retiring from international cricket after the 2007 World Cup, he signed a two year deal with Gloucestershire
under the Kolpak agreement. With Gloucestershire, he has had a number of significant impacts with the ball, taking 7/36 against Leicestershire, and match figures of 7/110 against the same side, while taking wickets whenever called upon. He has since been a regular in the Gloucestershire team, along with the likes of Jon Lewis
and Steve Kirby
. He recently returned briefly to Zimbabwe to play in the Twennty/20 tournament for the Southern Rocks
, taking 3 wickets in his only game.
played an extraordinary rearguard innings vs Middlesex to ensure an unlikely draw-22 overs for 27 runs-and both left the field on the shoulders of Jon Lewis
and Chris Taylor
to a rousing standing ovation.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er from Zimbabwe. A tall fast bowler, he relies on bounce and swing, and performed consistently during his tenure with Zimbabwe, taking 38 wickets in just 26 matches at a healthy average of 29.34. He was one of many talented white Zimbabweans to leave the team due to the situation of the ZCU and the country, to pursue careers in English domestic cricket, where he represented Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
for four seasons before joining Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
for the 2011 season.
International career
Ireland made his ODI debut against New ZealandNew Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
at Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
on 24 August 2005 where he took the wickets of both Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming
Stephen Paul Fleming ONZM is a New Zealand cricketer, and the former captain of the New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, in Test and one-day cricket...
and Chris Cairns. He performed consistently with the ball, being one of the few prospects on the Zimbabwe team, after the exodus of players like Gavin Ewing
Gavin Ewing
Gavin Mackie Ewing is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and bowls a right-arm offbreak. As a teenager he spent a short time at Potchefstroom Boys High in South Africa before returning to Zimbabwe....
, Andy Blignaut
Andy Blignaut
Arnoldus "Andy" Mauritius Blignaut is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a formidable right-arm fast-medium bowler, but he is also known for his vicious form with the bat in ODIs, where his frequent scoring of runs at a fast rate is a valuable asset, though seeing him sustaining this form and keeping...
, Henry Olonga
Henry Olonga
Henry Khaaba Olonga is a former Zambian-born cricketer for Zimbabwe.- Cricket career :He made his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan at Harare in 1995, at age 18 years, 212 days, becoming the youngest player to represent Zimbabwe. He helped Zimbabwe to its first ever Test victory...
, Andy Flower
Andy Flower
Andrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
and Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu
Tatenda Taibu is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a wicketkeeper and batsman, and can also bowl right arm off spin. On 6 May 2004, he became the youngest Test captain in history, when he captained his team against Sri Lanka....
. However, even with his performances Zimbabwe cricket continued on its downturn, as they gradually became weaker and weaker as an international side.
He toured the West Indies with the Zimbabwean team but broke his left hand in practice. Although he recovered, he struggled to adapt to the West Indian conditions, as Zimbabwe were thrashed 5-0 by the hosts.
A regular member of the side in 2006, he was selected in the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
squad and returned to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, taking a wicket in each of his games.
Zimbabwe was at an all time low at this point in time, and Ireland, soon after Zimbabwe were eliminated from the 2007 Cricket World Cup, retired from international cricket. He explained his decision in an exclusive interview with Cricinfo. He felt he was wasting his talents for a poor side, in a country in political turmoil, and felt that he should pursue his cricket elsewhere, and so Anthony Ireland went to England.
Cricket in England
Playing in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland enjoyed a successful season in 2004 for club teams Belvoir CC and Belton Park CC, before returning to Zimbabwe. He played for the PCA Masters against Gloucestershire in a game before the England vs Pakistan Twenty20 international, at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. He has since played for Thornbury Cricket Club in the south west of England.
Retiring from international cricket after the 2007 World Cup, he signed a two year deal with Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
under the Kolpak agreement. With Gloucestershire, he has had a number of significant impacts with the ball, taking 7/36 against Leicestershire, and match figures of 7/110 against the same side, while taking wickets whenever called upon. He has since been a regular in the Gloucestershire team, along with the likes of Jon Lewis
Jon Lewis
Jonathan "Jon" Lewis is an English cricketer. He was brought up in Swindon where he went to Churchfields School and Swindon College. He played for Swindon CC and, in Minor Counties cricket, for Wiltshire County Cricket Club in 1993. He joined Northamptonshire in 1994 and played for its Second XI...
and Steve Kirby
Steven Kirby
Steven Paul Kirby is an English first-class cricketer who plays for Somerset and England A....
. He recently returned briefly to Zimbabwe to play in the Twennty/20 tournament for the Southern Rocks
Southern Rocks
The Southern Rocks is one of five Zimbabwean cricket franchises. They are a first-class cricket team, based in the Masvingo and Matabeleland South area. They play their home matches at Masvingo Sports Club in Masvingo.-Squad:...
, taking 3 wickets in his only game.
Ireland's finest tail end batting resistance
Along with the ball, Anthony Ireland is also capable with the bat. Anthony Ireland along with Ian SaxelbyIan Saxelby
Ian Saxelby is an English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who currently plays for Gloucestershire. He was born in Nottingham....
played an extraordinary rearguard innings vs Middlesex to ensure an unlikely draw-22 overs for 27 runs-and both left the field on the shoulders of Jon Lewis
Jon Lewis
Jonathan "Jon" Lewis is an English cricketer. He was brought up in Swindon where he went to Churchfields School and Swindon College. He played for Swindon CC and, in Minor Counties cricket, for Wiltshire County Cricket Club in 1993. He joined Northamptonshire in 1994 and played for its Second XI...
and Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor may refer to:*Chris Taylor , owner of TMKO Lawyers & Last Gang Records*Chris Taylor , comedian, best known from The Chaser's War on Everything, CNNNN and Triple J...
to a rousing standing ovation.
Career Best Performances
as of 16 June 2011| Batting | Bowling | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Fixture | Venue | Season | Score | Fixture | Venue | Season | |
| ODI | 8* | Zimbabwe v Kenya | Bulawayo Queens Sports Club Queens Sports Club is a multi-purpose stadium in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. It is used mostly for cricket matches. The stadium holds 13,000. The club is one of two homegrounds for the Matabeleland Cricket Team, which up until recently was captained by the Zimbabwean international opening pace bowler... |
2006 | 3-41 | Zimbabwe v Bangladesh | Harare Harare Sports Club Harare Sports Club is a cricket ground in Harare, Zimbabwe. Initially known as Salisbury Sports Club, Harare Sports Club has served as the primary cricket venue in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe since its inception. The ground became a Test venue in October 1992 when Zimbabwe played their inaugural Test,... |
2006 |
| T20I Twenty20 International A Twenty20 International is a form of cricket which is played over 20 overs per side between two national cricket teams. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket... |
2* | Zimbabwe v Bangladesh | Khulna Khulna Divisional Stadium Khulna Divisional Stadium, also known as Bir Shrestha Shahid Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman Stadium is a One Day International Cricket venue in Khulna, Bangladesh. The stadium holds 20,000 people and opened in 2004.... |
2006 | 1-33 | Zimbabwe v Bangladesh | Khulna Khulna Divisional Stadium Khulna Divisional Stadium, also known as Bir Shrestha Shahid Flight Lieutenant Motiur Rahman Stadium is a One Day International Cricket venue in Khulna, Bangladesh. The stadium holds 20,000 people and opened in 2004.... |
2006 |
| FC First-class cricket First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams... |
29 | Middlesex Middlesex County Cricket Club Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the... v Essex Essex County Cricket Club Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games... |
Chelmsford County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford The County Cricket Ground, is a cricket venue in Chelmsford, Essex, England. It is home to Essex County Cricket Club.Chelmsford is a small ground, and therefore suits big-hitting batsmen. Essex stalwart Graham Gooch scored many of his runs here and Graham Napier scored 152 of 58 balls in a... |
2011 | 7-36 | Zimbabwe A Zimbabwe A cricket team The Zimbabwe A cricket team is a national cricket team representing Zimbabwe. It is the 'second-tier' of international Zimbabwean cricket, below the full Zimbabwe national cricket team. Matches played by Zimbabwe A are not considered to be Test matches or One Day Internationals, instead receiving... v Bangladesh A Bangladesh A cricket team The Bangladesh A cricket team is a cricket team representing Bangladesh, and is the "second tier" of international Bangladeshi cricket below the full Bangladeshi cricket team. The team played its first game, against the full Pakistan side, in 2001/02... |
Mirpur | 2006 |
| LA | 22* | Middlesex Middlesex County Cricket Club Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the... v Kent Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent... |
Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the... |
2011 | 4-16 | Zimbabwe A Zimbabwe A cricket team The Zimbabwe A cricket team is a national cricket team representing Zimbabwe. It is the 'second-tier' of international Zimbabwean cricket, below the full Zimbabwe national cricket team. Matches played by Zimbabwe A are not considered to be Test matches or One Day Internationals, instead receiving... v Kenya |
Harare (CO) | 2005 |
| T20 | 8* | Gloucestershire Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators.... v Warwickshire Warwickshire County Cricket Club Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor... |
Bristol County Cricket Ground, Bristol The County Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in Bristol, England. It is in the district of Ashley Down. The ground is home to the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.... |
2007 | 3-10 | Gloucestershire Gloucestershire County Cricket Club Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators.... v Somerset Somerset County Cricket Club Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset... |
Taunton | 2007 |