Zimbabwe's captain Prosper Utseya. - Contributed

Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

ACTION IN the Cricket World Cup continues at Sabina Park today, an it is not the West Indies versus Pakistan as it was on opening day, it is still expected to be a good, close and exciting contest.

On Tuesday, it was one of the best against one of the best, it was past champions against past champions, and it was a battle between two of the favourites to win the Cup.

Today, however, it is Zimbabwe versus Ireland and Zimbabwe are numbered among the Test-playing teams and Ireland are not, such is the present state of Zimbabwe's cricket following the exodus of stars like Grant Flower, Andy Flower and Henry Olonga in 2004, that it is one weak team against another weak team - certainly as far as the West Indies and Pakistan are concerned, and it is therefore like a battle between orphaned cousins for what is left.

It promises to be like Cinderella versus Cinderella.

Weak versus the weak

As a contest, however, the weak versus the weak can be as exciting as the strong versus the strong, and this one is set to be no different - even though Zimbabwe, with a World Cup record of 42 matches, eight wins, 31 losses and three no-results, are far more experienced than Ireland, who are making their debut in the showpiece of cricket.

Despite the exodus which robbed them of their best players, Zimbabwe really should be too good, too hot for Ireland, and they should be too good and too hot, particularly because of the presence of captain Prosper Utseya - a 21-year-old offspinner who flights the ball while spinning it appreciably; Stuart Masikenyeri - a 23-year-old batsman who loves to cut and to pull; Vusi Sibanda - a 23-year-old opening batsman who scored 78 against the West Indies during their recent tour of the Caribbean; Elton Chigumbura - a 21-year-old pace bowling all-rounder who can generate some speed; and Brendan Taylor - a 21-year-old wicketkeeper/batsman who, with the cover drive as his pet shot, loves to score quickly.

With Blessing Mahwire at home because of pneumonia, the others to look out for include 21-year-old fast bowler Tawanda Mupariwa, 31-year-old seam bowler Gary Brent, who possesses a good slower delivery, the stocky 24-year-old opening batsman and former captain Terry Duffin, the 22-year-old pacer Ed Rainsford, the 20-year-old left-hand batsman Sean Williams, the 20-year-old all-rounder Chamu Chibhabha, and the 18-year-old left-handed free-scoring batsman, Friday Kasteni.

Although they are the underdogs going into the contest, only a fool, however, would write off Ireland who, in Eoin Morgan and Niall O'Brien, boast two promising players.

Morgan, a 20-year-old who, with a batting average of 67.60, was one of the two top batsmen at the last Junior World Cup, and a left-hander who scored 151 off 150 deliveries against the United Arab Emirates in the Intercontinental Cup, is a promising batsman who is on the books of Middlesex County Cricket Club.

Apart from scoring 58 against the West Indies in 2004, Niall O'Brien, the 25-year-old brother of the 23-year-old Kevin O'Brien who scored 115 off 106 deliveries against Canada, and 142 off 125 deliveries against Kenya in the World Cricket League in Kenya last year, was deputy to England's wicketkeeper Geraint Jones at Kent last year and has signed to represent Notting-hamshire this year.

Good players

In captain Trent Johnson - the big 31-year-old fast bowler who was born in Australia and represented New South Wales; in Kyle McCallan - a 31-year-old off-spin all-rounder; in Andre Botha - a 31-year-old South African-born batsman who scored 52 off 80 deliveries against England last year; in 33-year-old opening batsman Jeremy Bray, who was born in Australia and represented Australia Youth and New South Wales; and in William Porterfield - a 22-year-old left-handed opening batsman who, in five matches, averaged 110.66 in the recent World Cricket League tournament in Kenya, Ireland have a team of good players.

On top of that, Ireland will be boosted by the memory, the lasting memory, of the day, July 2, 1969, when, at Sion Mills, they routed the West Indies team touring England for 25 runs.

Can Ireland enjoy a fairy tale debut by winning their first match in the World Cup?

Apart from the fact that neither D.E. Goodwin, who claimed five wickets for six runs on that glorious and unforgettable day for them, nor A. J. O'Riordan, who snared four for 18, will be in action today, the odds are against them - even though in the six feet, seven inches Boyd Rankin, they possess a dangerous pace bowler who, according to reports, gets the ball to bounce awkwardly, to lift dangerously off the pitch - and off a good length at that.