ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Group B: England v Ireland Venue: Bangalore Date: Wednesday, 2 March (0900 GMT) Tournament dates: 19 February-2 April Venues: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Coverage: Highlights on BBC TV (see listings), Red Button & BBC Sport website at 2200 GMT every day (UK users only); Live Test Match Special commentary (BBC 5 live sports extra, online, some games also on BBC Radio 4 LW) and live text commentary on England matches and selected others; Live on Sky Sports
 Porterfield hit 20 before being dismissed against Bangladesh |
Ireland captain William Porterfield says "smart cricket" will enable his team to compete with England in Wednesday's World Cup clash. A poor batting display saw the Irish squander a winning position against Bangladesh in their opener but Porterfield remains upbeat. "Nothing dramatic has to change. We've just got to be a bit more ruthless with the bat," said the Irish opener. "It's just a matter of being 'cricket-smart' when we are out there." A surprise win over their high-profile neighbours would be a first for the Irish at the fourth attempt in one-day internationals. Victory would also move Ireland above Zimbabwe into 10th in the one-day international rankings. However, the Irish will be expected to slide to another defeat which would leave their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals hanging by a thread. "For any Irish sports team, playing against an English team is always pretty special for us - and especially to people back home," said Porterfield. "They always want to see us get one over on the English so I'm sure there'll be plenty watching back home hoping for a positive result." Ireland will be sporting an array of colourful hairstyles thanks to a hotchpotch of purple, green, pink and blue dye, all in aid of a cancer charity.  | I'm pretty confident Boyd Rankin can bounce back Ireland captain William Porterfield |
But while the Irish have been indulging in fun and games off the pitch, they are determined to produce a competitive display on Wednesday which would atone for Friday's bitter disappointment against Bangladesh. "The day after the game and that night the lads were pretty gutted," acknowledged Porterfield. "Anyone who loses a game like that, you are going to be pretty down. "But that's professional sport - it's about how you are going to pick yourself back up. "We are going to have to win at least three of the next five games [to qualify for the quarter-finals] - so every game is must-win from here on in," he said. Porterfield retains great faith in pace bowler Boyd Rankin, despite figures of 0-62 in nine overs against Bangladesh. "He went for a few in Dhaka but that can happen to anyone," he said. "I still think he is one of our main wicket-taking threats. "He may go for a few runs - but as we've seen in this tournament, you need to be able to take wickets to peg things back. "He's one of our main wicket-takers, so I'm pretty confident he can bounce back."
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