Team Ireland trains at Lord's ahead of the first summer test. Photo: Pennsylvania/Zach Goodwin
County cricket was a regular occurrence in the generation of Irish cricketers who were successful at the 2007-15 World Cups and earned Test status. Of the XI players who beat England at the 2011 World Cup in Bangalore, eight played for the counties, benefiting from proximity to one of the best national teams in the world.
Things are different for the new generation of Irish cricketers. After Ireland received Test status in 2017, England & The Wales Cricket Board has ruled that Irish players will no longer be considered homegrown in county play. The loss of easy access to the English system left one senior official of the Irish game worried: «The status of the test could be the worst thing that has ever happened to Irish cricket.» Starting with player development in partnership with the county game, now Ireland has to do everything itself.
However, there is a new crop of Irish players who haven't spent their formative years in the county game. Fast southpaw Josh Little was absent from Lord's; instead, he played in the Indian Premier League final on Monday. Wicket batsman Lorcan Tucker won the century in a Test debut in Bangladesh in April; his undefeated 71 goals against Australia in the T20 World Cup effectively kept England in the tournament.
The Tector Factor
In the last 10 ODIs, Harry Tector has scored four centuries — two against New Zealand and one each against Zimbabwe. and Bangladesh. Using his 6'4″ frame, he combined powerful shots with front leg pulls — Ricky Ponting's famous pull was one of his childhood favorites — as he raced between the wickets.
No Irish cricketer, including Eoin Morgan, has ever ranked as high as Tector at number seven in the ODI rankings, and he is only 23. For Ireland, «Harry Tector is probably a once-in-a-generation player.» ”, says Gary Wilson, coach of the Ireland national baseball team. Tector also indicated that its qualities could be transferred to the longest format; in three Tests in April, he scored three half-centuries, including 85 against Sri Lanka.
On his second night as a Test cricketer, Tector realized how demanding the format was. Facing a first innings deficit of 155 runs at Mirpur, Tector went 7-2 with the Republic of Ireland, who quickly went 13-4. Tector's 56 points out of 159 balls helped his team rise to 292, which even gave rise to a fleeting hope of an Irish victory.
“It was crazy,” he recalls. “I had no idea how I would play, but it was a lot of fun. I didn't really feel like playing test cricket — we had so many tests that were cancelled, I thought it would happen again. But then when I played it, I fell in love with it. It was absolutely great – I just loved his presentation.”
For Tector, the difficulty of Test cricket is multiplied by Ireland's lack of a first-class national system; he played just one first-class match four years before his Test debut.
There can be no expectations because we don't have the preparation to excel at this level, he muses. “I can’t go back to a first-class career where I scored points because I don’t have them. So I can only count on the form of the last two years in one-day cricket and T20.”
Like many Irish players, cricket was infused with the Tector family. At the age of seven, Tector played at his school and was immediately fascinated. Three Tector boys: Harry is the middle brother; all three Ireland U-19 captains — spent long summer days at the YMCA, where his father is active, playing cricket and hockey, often staying with closest friends. At home, the family «constantly played in the patio.» Whenever asked what he wants to do, Harry replied: “I want to become a professional cricketer. But I had no idea how to do it.”
While the start of Tector's career coincided with the closure of the cricket district as a route for young Irish players, an alternative setup was being created at home. He says Little, who is the same age, and Tucker, who is 26, «benefited from being in the right place at the right time.» Tector was 13 when the national academy opened; immediately he trained with the men on the outskirts of Ireland. “I got to know this level very early.”
Tector has been to two U-19 World Championships. Shortly before their second match, Ireland played a warm-up match against England in Christchurch. Harry Brooke, England captain, won the century; then Tector, captain of Ireland, did the same. After the tournament, in his senior year at school, he thought, «I can do it.»
Accepting the challenge
At the age of 17, Tector competed in inter-provincial competitions, Ireland's domestic competitions. He has also benefited from the Irish Wolves' extensive program, the national 'A' team — «tours to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh where you're completely stoned but understand what you need to do to get to that level.» However, as he laments, the lack of funds means that the Irish Wolves' schedule has since been reduced.
If he had had access to county cricket, «I would have recovered sooner,» says Tector. However, compared to the previous generation, Ireland now play many more quality international matches. Tector has already made 92 caps, more than Ed Joyce has won in his entire Irish career. This accelerated its development and was a major handicap for Irish cricketers — «wickets aren't good enough», allowing bowlers to succeed who «just play 75 mph» — less problematic. Now the team is playing so much that there is little time left for training.
“I learned a lot at the highest level,” Tector reflects. “I managed to recover very quickly because I was too crazy at the beginning.
“That's what international cricket has done for me. I think it made me swim very fast — either sink or swim, didn't it?»
After undergoing laser surgery in front of the same optometrist who worked with Rory McIlroy — «that little difference could help» — the defining moment in Tector's career came in 2021. Prior to this, he felt like a «sitting duck» against short bowling. In Malahide, turning his height into an advantage, he attacked Henrich Nortier and Kagiso Rabada from the front foot, scoring 79 to help Ireland defeat South Africa.
The pace of his transformation is indicative of Tektor's dedication to self-improvement. “His work ethic is second to none,” Wilson says. «He's his own biggest critic.»
«I've always come out of the series and noticed that I can't take certain shots or hit a certain way, and I went away and worked on it,» Tector explains. «I have a very long way to go to become one of the best players in the world.
“I really, really enjoy playing batting and I love the technical side of it. . I like his mental side.» The only part of the battles he doesn't like is how they end; he is referred to by teammates as «Headgear» for his tendency to yell — and sometimes throw things — after going out. “I need to get better,” he admits. “If I go in and throw it out, it will make me very upset.”
Four years ago, Tector was so upset that he had not been chosen for Ireland that he did not go to the Lord to see the test. Since then, he has featured in Ireland's last two wins against England: in the Ageas Bowl ODI in 2020, when his undefeated 29 helped Ireland go home, and in the T20 World Cup clash at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last November.
«I've never played Lord's before, only twice — it's such a special venue to play in a test match,» he smiles. «If we go three times in a row, it will certainly be an achievement.»
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