Thaindian News

Kolkata, March 18 (IANS) Ireland captain William Porterfield said it was a great moment for his team to end their World Cup campaign with a win at the historical Eden Gardens.

Porterfield praised Man of the Match Paul Stirling, who hit 101, as Ireland chased the target of 307 to beat the Netherlands by six wickets for their second win the 2011 World Cup.

“The public at home and in India have been behind us. To finish it off in Eden Gardens with a win is great. It was a great innings from Paul, showed a lot of character. We were pretty confident, slightly disappointed with the way we bowled,” said Porterfield.

The Irish captain was happy with his team’s performance.

“Look, we are pretty happy with the kind of preparation we have done, disappointed with a couple of close games, who knows we could have qualified. We are very happy with where we are. We don’t want to turn up just once, but to turn up day in day out,” he said.

Dutch captain Peter Borren also gave the credit to Stirling.

“We made a pretty good comeback from four down for 100-odd. Was pretty happy with the score, felt we had a chance. Lot of credit to young Paul Stirling. We had a good chance, playing Bangladesh and India was an amazing experience. We have learnt on these wickets, you can go for plenty here, you need partnerships, and wickets in hand. We need to play more often at the highest level,” he said.

Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien, who hit the fastest World Cup century, said he enjoyed playing in India.

“Had a great time in India. Just love the people here, especially the ones in Kolkata. Good to sign off with a win. We have played some good cricket. It’s for the people of India and the world to see how Stirling played, he’s the future,” he said.