DUBLIN: Irish international Simi Singh was talking about his fondness for Malahide, the upcoming New Zealand series and his century against South Africa in his last match at the historic Dublin ground that will host the Ireland Men’s One-Day International series against New Zealand to be played from 10-15 July 2022.
Singh, 35, debuted against New Zealand at Malahide in 2017. He has played 33 ODIs and 47 T20Is for Ireland since then and was named in the ICC ODI Team of the Year in 2021.
Last year, batting at 8, Singh struck his maiden international century against South Africa in an ODI at Malahide.
Speaking before training, Singh was asked about the upcoming New Zealand series:
“They’re a top team, but we’ve played against a lot of top teams in the recent past – I think ranking is just a number. We have played India, West Indies, South Africa and now New Zealand – there’s not much difference in quality, they are all world-class sides, but we have faced this challenge before and we’re looking forward to the series here at our home ground.”
Did he remember well that day in July 2021 when he scored his century?
“I remember it clearly – it was a great day for the team. We did really well in that series – and that last match was a great hundred for me personally, it was a big milestone. I started playing my club cricket here in this ground, so to score a century was an unbelievable feeling.”
What were his memories of his debut against the Black Caps in 2017 here at Malahide:
“I remember that day well, it was a special day for me, at the ground I started my club cricket on. I had a great time playing club cricket here at Malahide, so to make my international debut here was amazing not only for me, but my family as well. They were watching the game on TV, so it was a happy day all round.”
The last ODIs Ireland played were in January in the Caribbean when Ireland won the series 2-1, how much confidence can the squad draw from that result?
“That was an important series for us, and a great effort. We had a few players missing due to Covid. But despite that, the boys really stood up, so I think we’re quite confident in our game plans going into this ODI series.”
Having recently become a father for the first time, how is that adjustment in life going?
“Yeah, it’s definitely a change in my schedule, sleep-wise, but being a father has changed my outlook on life completely – when you go home you can switch off from cricket and just concentrate on your family, so it’s been a great addition to life.”
