Fit and Motivated O'Brien Still Dreaming of Test Cricket for Ireland

As Niall O'Brien enters what will be his eighth World Tournament for Ireland he feels that he is in a great place with his game.

Niall reckons he is as fit as he has been in the last three years and is excited about the challenges ahead for Ireland.

O'Brien would still dearly like to play Test Cricket for Ireland before he hangs up his whites, and dreams of getting on the Honours Board at Lords for scoring a century.

Barry Chambers: Niall your eighth World Tournament, you're in a pretty exclusive group, especially in Irish terms. Kevin and Porty, but do you still get that sense of excitement, adventure when you come away?

Niall O'Brien: Definitely yeah. Looking forward to this Tournament probably more than many  in the past. It's probably potentially my last tournament So from that point of view I really want to go out with a bang. And we've got a good bunch of lads in this team now. There's been a change obviously from my first one. But great to be back in India, especially. It should be a good event, and we've got a good team. So we're pretty hopeful of qualifying, and going far. So I'm excited.

Barry Chambers: You are at the veteran stage now, you say it could be your last. But you might be good for a few years yet?

Niall O'Brien: You never know. I fell fit and well. I'm probably as fit as I've been in two or three years now. So looking forward to it. I'm enjoying my cricket, that's the most important thing, enjoying being around the Squad, and being pushed by a lot of the younger lads. You know the Senior Players are constantly being pushed by these young whippersnappers. So keeping me on my toes, and I'm enjoying my cricket, both for Ireland and Leicestershire. And I love playing cricket, and there's no many better places to play than India.

Barry Chambers: The fact there's the potential for us to be playing Test Cricket in a couple of years, is that at the back of your mind, keep going?

Niall O'Brien: Yes it's a big carrot for me. It's been there all along since I was playing Cricket with Kevin in the front garden. I was pretending to be Alec Stewart or Brian Lara. So there was always a dream of playing Test Cricket. And I'm a bit of an old romantic when it comes to cricket. I often have dreams, going to bed, of playing Test Cricket at Lords. So hopefully that dream will become a reality, and as you say I've a few more years in me yet. So I'm fit and well and playing quite nicely. So no reason why I can't hang on in there and play, hopefully get a few, get a hundred a Lords, and get myself on the Honours Board.

Barry Chambers: And T20, is that a format you enjoy, you've had a lot of success opening the batting or at the top order, both with Northants and Leicestershire over the years in English Counties in the T20?

Niall O'Brien: Yeah, listen I probably haven't done as well for Ireland as I would like. You know my numbers wouldn't reflect you know one of our better players, but I think I'm at a good place now, I've got a lot more experience now.

Last season went very well for me batting at number 4 and 5 for Leicestershire. So it looks like that's the kind of role I'm going to deploy for Ireland during this Tournament. So I'm happy with that. And we've got some good players in front of me, got some good players behind me. So it's a little bit like the last World Cup in Australia, just go out and play with no fear.

That was a big thing for us, go out and play our shots. You know give ourselves the best chance. And try and execute and express ourselves. And that's what T20 is all about, and I look forward to doing that.

Barry Chambers: This Irish Squad, how does it compare to Squads of years gone by? We would have had some guys a few years ago, who would have enjoyed this format, but I suppose they'd retired by the time it came around?

Niall O'Brien: Yeah it's a different ballgame now really with the kind of the new Irish set up. It's very very professional, I suppose, when we look back to 2007. You were there yourself. It was a good auld craic we had in the Caribbean. Probably a little bit of that has gone, a little bit of the fun element has goneoff the pitch.

But on the pitch we're playing some good stuff.  Everything is taken care of,  Cricket Ireland are doing a good job to get us all contracted, and everyone fit and well, healthy and playing to a good standard. Got good coaches, got a lot of good support staff. So long gone are the days that we just kind of turned up and see what happens. We're here to compete in matches, and you know I've no doubt we can do so.

Barry Chambers: As you say that, I mean it's an incredible in nine years, it's just the whole atmosphere around the thing has changed. How professional we have become. I mean in those days we were basically Semi-Professional Amateurs. There were only two or three full time. But now we're a Full Member Set Up, more or less aren't we?

Niall O'Brien: I think it's very different obviously, both in a good way and a bad way, I think. the most important thing we do is we enjoy playing cricket. We enjoy touring. We enjoy  getting to know the locals and the local people and culture, I think that's really important, you do that.

Everywhere I've gone, round the world, I've always tried to engage with the people. So I think it's important to get yourself in this little cocoon of cricket, remember why you play the game in the first place is to enjoy it, growing up as a kid. And if you do that and enjoy and give your best, more times than not you'll come out on top.

Barry Chambers: And there is no better place than India, there's just an incredible passion for the game here. Everyone's an expert. Everyone, especially yourself and Kevin, would be the most recognisable of the Squad. But everywhere you go, they just want to talk about cricket?

Niall O'Brien: Yes, probably I've a decent face over here, but not this morning in the Gym. The Gym Instructor told me how well I batted against Hong Kong, getting 82, so probably not as recognisable as some, I think!

But no it is a great place to come and play. I do enjoy India. I've been here for or five times now. And it's always good to come back and get a warm welcome.

Barry Chambers: And best of luck for this Tournament.

Niall O'Brien: Thank you very much, looking forward to it.