A question arised in my mind.
We have seen this same main batting order (the 6 batsmen) from the Irish from almost 2009. Is there no other talent in the Ireland?
There is definitely talent available, though for whatever reason the selectors and now successive coaches have preferred to stick with players who don't perform as often as we might like. The talent available includes:
John Anderson - He's reliable, but he's 35 years old. Might be able to get a few Test matches out of him before we say goodbye, but again he's sadly not the future of Irish batting.
Andy Balbirnie - He made his maiden ODI hundred the other day, but it took him 39 ODIs to do it. Abysmal first-class stats are similarly flattered by a single great innings, an unbeaten 205. Not really good enough.
Ed Joyce - Ireland's finest batsman, and he has been since he returned from the England fold. That said, he's nearly 40 and his hips aren't holding up very well any more. He will retire once he has played in Ireland's first couple of Tests.
Nick Larkin - A Sheffield Shield hundred would suggest a certain level of ability that we're lacking. He played a couple of games for Ireland, but the selectors' disinterest seems to have pushed him away and back to Australia. His last four Futures League innings are: 210, 212, 189 and 129*.
James McCollum - He impressed people at Durham MCCU, then got himself noticed with an unbeaten hundred against Leinster in the Interpros. He doesn't look like being a white-ball option though.
Steven Mullaney - He need only say the word, and he can come and play for us. He's Irish qualified, and comes with the added bonus of being very versatile and able to play different roles depending what's needed. Probably values being employed by Notts though, which is fair enough.
Kevin O'Brien - The World Cup hero seven years ago, and he's been riding on that ever since. Although he is very destructive on his day, his day doesn't happen especially often - he has only made more than 75 once since.
Niall O'Brien - One hundred in 94 ODIs, almost exclusively batting in the top four. He's not good enough to fulfil this role, but because he's a good keeper he retains it. Also, he's 36 years old.
Will Porterfield - He's been captain for a decade now, and it's long since been time for him to hand over the reins to someone else. He has 10 ODI centuries, but also has been dismissed 36 times in single figures, mostly since 2015. He's fatigued.
Stuart Poynter - He's the Durham keeper, but plays for us as a specialist batsman because his glovework is shit. Sadly, 30 internationals and a top score of 39 would tend to suggest that his batting is also shit.
David Rankin - Perhaps the saddest indictment of Irish batting stocks is that David Rankin has some full international caps opening the batting. Really, we have to do better than that, and I mean him no disrespect.
James Shannon - Spent quite a while batting at eight and not bowling for Ireland in his early 20s. Since then, he's gone away and got himself a first-class batting average of 48.71, as well as being electric in the field.
Simi Singh - He earned his place in the side the old-fashioned way: by being the stand-out player in Interpro cricket and forcing his way in through weight of runs. Has struggled a little in green, but hit a promising 45 today in Dubai.
Paul Stirling - A bit of a one-trick pony, but it's a very good trick. Or at least it was - his hundred against Afghanistan last month was his first since 2013. I would still persist with him though because he makes runs against good bowling.
Jack Tector - Hasn't made that big score yet, but proved himself to be very consistent in his maiden Interpro season last year. As he's still only 21, we should look to start giving him game time.
Sean Terry - Has a suspected case of Vinceitis (lots of very pretty 30s) but is one of the most talented players available to the selectors. I think he's worth investing in, especially as he's still quite young.
Greg Thompson - Played years ago as a specialist leggie, but made a comeback in 2016 as a middle-order batsman. Scored an impressive 44 against Hong Kong, but stats suggest this to be the exception not the rule.
Lorcan Tucker - Billed as an "exciting" and "innovative" batsman, which presumably means he can play a ramp shot but not a forward defensive. He's meant to the next big thing, but I've never seen him get runs for anyone.
Gary Wilson - Had about two good months of county form three years ago. Averaged sixteen at a strike rate of 60 with one fifty-plus score across the whole of 2016 and 2017, as well as just being a generally obnoxious human being. Begone.