The team that made Ireland great

1) William Porterfield (c)

Ireland’s record runscorer in ODIs and T20Is, their record century maker with 11 hundreds, and talismanic captain for almost all of that time. Having taken over as skipper just after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, he’s overseen the most successful period in Ireland’s history and played as key a role as any in securing their Test status. He’s the first name on the team sheet, and it’s only fitting that he opens the batting as well.

2) Paul Stirling

The holder of the record for Ireland’s highest ODI score, and it was some innings too – in a series decider against Canada back in 2010, still just a 20-year-old, he smashed 177 off 134 balls with 21 fours and five sixes. The next highest score by an Irishman was Andrew Poynter’s 30. He’s gone on to score another six ODI tons, putting him second on the list for Ireland behind Porterfield.

A belligerent ball-striker, a pair of 70-plus scores helped Ireland triumph in two consecutive World T20 Qualifier finals in 2012 and 2013, both against Afghanistan. As the youngest entrant in this list, he could yet form the bedrock of Ireland’s batting for years to come.

3) Ed Joyce

Perhaps the most complete batsman ever to emerge from the Emerald Isle, and surely the most elegant. He is certainly the one who has had the most success in county cricket – more than 40 hundreds for Middlesex and Sussex, an average of just under 50, and passing 1,000 Championship runs in seven consecutive seasons are all testament to that.

His full international career started later than all others on this list because of the time he spent playing for England but he’d already played his part in Ireland’s journey, averaging just under 100 in their qualifying campaign for the Cricket World Cup in 2007, a tournament which would prove pivotal for them as a side.

Since returning to Ireland he’s been just as instrumental, and holds the record for their highest score in any format – 231 against UAE at Malahide in 2015 in a four-day game.

4) Alan Lewis

Ireland’s captain during the early years of their rise, having taken over in less than ideal circumstances – just a day before his side’s first ICC Trophy campaign, previous captain Stephen Warke ran into a roller and broke his elbow, forcing Lewis to step up.

His energy, enthusiasm and optimism helped Ireland to make it through their growing pains still smiling, and he was decent with the bat too, averaging over 50 in a small sample of first-class games.

5) Phil Simmons

A Leicestershire legend for the part he played in securing them two County Championship titles in 1996 and 1998, Simmons was an accomplished international cricketer for West Indies, one who was good enough to score six international centuries.

Still, his greatest achievements perhaps came not on the playing field, but coaching Ireland whom he guided to 11 titles, qualification for every major ICC event and a slew of upsets between 2008 and 2015.

6) Kevin O’Brien

The younger of the O’Brien brothers may come to be defined by his innings against England in the 2011 World Cup, and it was a truly great knock. Unfancied from the start, chasing 328 to win – then a much tougher ask than now – and having slipped to 111/5 the result seemed a foregone conclusion. Enter KOB, who smashed a 50-ball century, then the fastest in World Cup history, to engineer an astonishing win.

But he deserves to be remembered as far more than that. He has represented his country for almost 12 years, becoming their most capped cricketer in the process – Ireland’s inaugural Test will be his 185th Test, ODI, or T20I cap – striking the ball hard and nagging away with his seamers all the while.

7) Niall O’Brien (wk)

The older O’Brien played the innings which announced Ireland on the world stage, his 72 guiding his side to a three-wicket victory over Pakistan at the 2007 World Cup. After more than a decade of chirping behind the stumps, geeing his team up, and contributing down the order, he registered his maiden ODI century last year against New Zealand, just rewards for a stellar career.

8) Dekker Curry

A sheep strangler by day, John Desmond ‘Dekker’ Curry was a T20 cricketer 10 years too soon, smashing it miles and bowling tidy off-breaks. The all-rounder was Player of the Match in Ireland’s first-ever win over a county, against Middlesex in the Benson & Hedges cup in 1998, for his 75 opening the batting, although Ireland’s overseas Hansie Cronje, who made 95 and took three-for, was unfortunate to miss out.

His career came to an acrimonious end after he was sent home from the ICC Trophy 2001 after a heated argument with head coach Ken Rutherford in a lunch queue, but 'Dekker' had already left an indelible mark on Irish cricket history.

9) John Mooney

Though Ireland lost their inaugural ODI against England, the 38-run margin of defeat showed that they were no soft target, and key to ensuring the game was a close one was John Mooney, who took the key wickets of Marcus Trescothick, Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell, and scored a brisk unbeaten 30.

He would go on to play an important role for the following 10 years, winning Ireland’s Player of the Year award in 2010, hitting the winning runs in their stunning victory over England at the 2011 World Cup, and finishing that tournament as his country’s leading wicket-taker, where he also made waves with his lime-green headband, dubbed by some as "the best headband in sports".

10) Trent Johnston

Born in Australia, Trent Johnston represented New South Wales for a spell, playing alongside Mark Taylor, Michael Slater, and Brett Lee before deciding to utilise his wife’s passport and represent Ireland. He led Ireland to the Super Sixes stage of the 2007 World Cup, scoring the winning runs in their upset of Pakistan.

More than just being an inspirational leader however, he was a sharp bowler who formed a key part of Ireland’s attack for over 10 years, and was one of the first two players – Alex Cusack was the other – to receive a central contract from Cricket Ireland.

11) Adi Birrell

Ireland’s head coach from 2001 through to the end of their 2007 World Cup, Johnston credited him with instilling the mindset which helped them throughout that groundbreaking period: “Adi created that belief, not just the day before that win but he created that belief when he first came to Cricket Ireland.” A leg-spinner before he became a coach, Birrell took 75 wickets at a shade over 30 for South African first-class side Eastern Province.