My Associate XI...

My associate XI team,

First lets start with the openers,

Ed Joyce(Ireland)

Arguably the greatest cricketer to be produced in Ireland, he's a name that will divide opinion in many cricket loving households. He knew he couldn't play test cricket for Ireland so when he got a opportunity to play for England, he took the chance, although he never got the chance to play test cricket for England.
He is a classy left handed batsman, who performs his best in the longer form of the game, he recently became the first Irish batsman to score 10,000 first-class runs. He had a quiet World Cup with only one score of note, with an 84 against the West Indies, though he would hope to score much more runs in 2012, and help Ireland progress to the 2012 T20 World Cup.

Paul Stirling(Ireland)

Paul Stirling is the most promising talent in the Irish cricket batting lineup and he's only just turned 21, he is a very aggressive batsman. He's not afraid to throw the kitchen sink at every ball. While many Irish fans felt he got out too easily at the start of his career, he's starting to mature now. Showing controlled aggression and shot selection. Nothing showed it better when he recently scored a century against Pakistan in an ODI series in Ireland. He also scored the second fastest century of the 2011 World Cup, he's fast becoming one of the brightest prospects in World cricket.

William Porterfield(Ireland)(c)

The captain of the Irish side, he leads the team very well. He's a world class fielder at cover point. Arguably one of the finest fielders in the game today. He's also an excellent left handed batsman, who plies his trade at Warwickshire after making the move from Gloucestershire. He had several pundits throwing praise upon him during the world cup for his field placements, his attacking ways and his cricket brain. Showing that he would feel completely comfortable had he to make such field settings, in the Test arena.

Niall O'Brien(Ireland)(wk)

I think Niall is one of the most underrated wicket-keepers in the game of cricket. He is a very comfortable player of spin, with some explosive shots in his game. He has recently been bought for the Bangladesh Premier League, a move which has lead to him missing out on selection for the Irish squad for the tour of Kenya. Although a chance to play in the conditions he will face in Bangladesh, will only help continue his progress as a batsman.

Kyle Coetzer(Scotland)

Kyle Coetzer might sound not very Scottish, he was indeed born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He's been playing for Scotland since the U-15's. He currently plays with Durham in the English county game, although he's not been a consistent part of their side. He's yet to secure a full season of first XI cricket with Durham but remains a vital player in the Scotland side. He is also the current top run scorer in the ICC Cup One-Day league with 153 runs, he also has 170 runs in the four-day ICC Cup.

Mohammad Shahzad(Afghanistan)

Mohammad Shahzad is a very talented right-handed batsman for Afghanistan, he made Afghan cricket history during their tour to Netherlands in 2009. He was the first Afghan to score a century in an ODI match, he scored 110 runs. Afghainstan also went onto win the game by 6 wickets. He was also later to become the first Afghan to score a first-class double century when he scored 214 not out. He's fast reaching some big milestones for his country, while he is only 20 years of age, he remains a big prospect for Afghan cricket.

Ryan ten Doeschate(Holland)

Ryan ten Doeschate is a very good allrounder, he is well known to many English fans, as he plays for Essex in the English county game. He was born in South Africa, although his loyalties are firmly with Holland in regards of him playing for Holland over South Africa. He had a very nice 2011 world cup, including scoring a very well timed century against England, while picking two wickets up on his way.


Peter Borren(Holland)

One of the better leaders in the associate ranks, he's the captain of the dutch team. A role which he has done with a lot of skill, he usually bats low in the order. Although when needed he has performed his batting duties very well, while being very consistent. He's also a very handy bowler, so he contributes in many ways to the team.


George Dockrell(Ireland)

George Dockrell is one of the most promising talents in associate cricket, he made his debut for the Ireland senior team in the 2010 Quadrangular Twenty20 Series in Sri Lanka. His debut T20 match was against Afghanistan, which was also his debut T20 International, he made figures of 2/11 as Ireland went onto win by 5 wickets. He would later go on to become a leading player in the Irish senior side.
Impressing many people during his performances in the 2011 world cup, where he took the prize wicket of Sachin Tendulkar among others.

Trent Johnston(Ireland)

David Trent Johnston or as known to Irish cricket fans TJ or Trent Johnston, is an Australian born Irish cricketer. He is an all-rounder but mostly known for his bowling but is not too bad with the bat at all. He generally comes into about No.9 and he's a far better batsman than his batting position would suggest.

Now with Trent being the young age of 37 he remains in the Irish side as a true professional and a servant to Irish cricket, he plans to retire after the next T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2012.


Hameed Hassan(Afghanistan)

Hameed Hassan is a very tall fast bowler for Afghanistan. He has received praise from the likes of Mike Gatting and John Stephenson. He is very brisk, he had reached 90 miles per hour, when he picked up four wickets against Jersey, which also helped limit them to 80. He was also the leading wicket taker for Afghanistan during the 2009 World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, where he picked up 18 wickets.