Ed Joyce appears to have it all in front of him. The 26-year-old left-hander from Dublin has the full repertoire of shots in his locker. He showed those attributes on his way to becoming the first player in county cricket to reach 1000 runs this season.

But he showed he also has the wherewithal to withstand the pressure-cooker existence at the top. Take for example his return to international cricket for Ireland on Tuesday when he obligingly rattled off a century as his native country began their quest for ICC Trophy honours.

Joyce last played for Ireland in the last ICC Trophy in Toronto four years ago and since then he has been writing his own script with Middlesex. When he went to the crease in the opening game against Bermuda, the weight of expectation was upon him.

Was he really as good as the headlines portrayed? In a word, yes. He left the same crease with a 103 intelligently-constructed runs nurtured from 89 balls. The one-day game may not be his speciality but once the building blocks of Ireland's innings had been cemented he waspishly began to show his range of shots.

He featured in a 170-run stand with teenager Eoin Morgan, a Middlesex apprentice, who chipped in with a more adventurous 93. Joyce finally left the scene having hit 10 fours and two sweetly-struck sixes and his return to the colours of Ireland was complete.