What should have been a happier occasion for Ireland captain William Porterfield after his first century at the World Cup was tempered by his side just missing out on a quarterfinal berth after a seven-wicket loss to Pakistan.
But for a player who has been on the ground floor of Ireland’s ever-improving results at one-day cricket’s showpiece tournament, Porterfield knew the short-term disappointment would eventually make way for optimism.
Porterfield was the only Ireland batsman to show any resistance to Pakistan’s disciplined pace bowling attack Sunday at the Adelaide Oval, scoring 107 runs as Ireland was bowled out for 237 before Pakistan reached 241-3 in the 47th over.
As befitting an associate team, or second-tier side, which doesn’t get a lot of matches against top-ranked teams, Porterfield knew the more experienced Pakistan would have the advantage late in the innings.
“They’re experienced campaigners and they have been around for a while,” Porterfield said. “Once we lost a few wickets, we’re not the first and not the last who are going to lose wickets quickly at the end.”
Ireland beat test nations West Indies and Zimbabwe among its three wins. It has shown a gradual improvement in all three World Cup tournaments it has played, beating Pakistan in its first tournament in 2007 and England in 2011.