Ireland vs England: Quick flicks

Rankin’s ‘treachery’

William Boyd Rankin traded in the green colours for a majestic shade of blue and red, simply because he has new-found hopes of representing the English side in Test cricket. Since Ireland is not a full member of the ICC, he made the decision keeping his future playing career in mind -at 29.

Some of the die-hard Irish fans must have blanched at his blatant and outright treachery against his birth nation. They must have hated it even more when he rocked the home side’s top order and finished with 4/46 in his nine-over spell. After all, he ended his international career for Ireland in 2012 owing to persistent injuries and his ambition to play in the longest format – surely the crowd would understand his problems? It didn’t happen, and most unfortunately, Rankin’s spell turned out to be a match-winning one.

This continuous leaking of talent from the Irish shores is a serious issue that the ICC must resolve soon. Otherwise, players like Rankin, Joyce and Morgan will be completely lost to them when they finally hang up their boots.