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Step up: Curtis Campher is ready for the T20 World Cup and wants to shine for Ireland. Photo credit: Michael Steele-ICC
Ian Callender
Curtis Campher admits he’s still used to playing in the hustle and bustle of T20 cricket, but at some point this weekend he becomes one of the first names on the Irish team list for the opening game of the T20 World Cup against the Netherlands in Abu Dhabi.
The South African with the Irish passport – his grandmother was a nurse in Londonderry – did not play a List A T20 game until he did in February played for Ireland Wolves in his home country last year. He will play his 13th game and only his fourth international match at the World Cup.
« I’ve played a lot of T20 games in club cricket and at U-17 and U-19 level, but nothing higher than that in South Africa, « he said in an exclusive interview with the Belfast Telegraph. « It’s fast-paced and definitely outside of my comfort zone, but it’s really nice to challenge myself.
» I’m still getting used to it, but the other players help me. However, test cricket is the highlight for me and one-day internationals are the closest to it. ”
Campher missed Ireland’s last test match by exactly 12 months, although he is only 22 years old, there is plenty of time to realize his ambitions.
However, his ODI debut was an unforgettable experience. Despite losing to world champions England last year in the biosecure bubble of the Southampton Rose Bowl, Camphor scored the top with 59 points and when he followed in the second game with 68 no one had scored more goals in their first two innings for Ireland – ever.
The all-rounder, who belongs to the YMCA club in Dublin, also won five wickets in this three-game series against England, which culminated in their famous eight-wicket win over the world champions.
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So it’s no wonder that the cool head on the shoulders of the young offspring looks unimpressed at his first World Cup. And he introduces an amazing fact.
“Since I came over, Bal (Ireland’s Captain Andrew Balbirnie) has been helping me all along the line. Crazy enough, yesterday’s game against Papua New Guinea was the first time I hit in the middle with him, probably the only person on the whole team who didn’t hit with me! «
It still doesn’t get into the official records as the warm-up game was unlimited and not an official T20 international, but the undefeated 42 he made confirmed that his punches were okay and although he will lose a place if Paul Stirling returns on Monday his strengths Promotion to the T20 team undoubtedly Ireland’s clout.
It has been a missing piece of the Ireland puzzle in the shortest possible format for too long. Mainly because of the pandemic, Ireland did not play a T20I between March 2020 and July 2021, and Camphor missed the first three games of that year due to injury – a recurring theme in the first 14 months of his international career.
« I have most of the Missing the Inter-Pro season and a couple of international matches was really frustrating. It’s just nice to play outside again and I just enjoy my cricket. It helps to get runs and wickets, but at the end of the day I’m just happy to be able to contribute, « he said.
Camphor admits that the revamped World Cup draw did Ireland no favors and it brought together the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and a strong Namibia team, but he remains optimistic.
“We’re in the tougher group and all sides play really good cricket. But that’s the state of international cricket at the moment, if you don’t show up that day you will be beaten and we saw that against the UAE (last week when they lost the series 2-1). There are no easy games, but when we are in our A game and we shoot we are confident that we can beat anyone, ”he said.
Ireland’s last game was against Bangladesh this morning, starting at 7am BST, and Camphor added, « It’s going to be a difficult game, but if we can give it up it would give us a lot of confidence to go into the tournament. » Get quick and easy access with the Belfast Telegraph app for the latest Northern Ireland news, sports, business and opinions.
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