ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Ireland v Pakistan

With just two games left in the group stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and two places still available in the next phase, Ireland’s cricketers have their fate in their own hands.  They play Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval early tomorrow morning [3.30am (GMT)] with the winner guaranteed a place in the knock-out stage.  As I may have mentioned… Cricket Ireland reports on captain, William Porterfield, at the press conference Talking about his teams approach to the game and the biggest challenges …

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ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Ireland v Zimbabwe

It’s a busy, and potentially significant, night/day for the Group B teams at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.  At around 3.30am [GMT] on Saturday Ireland will look to put the heavy defeat to South Africa behind them when they face Zimbabwe, in a rare ODI match-up, at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Australia. And with India having done both teams a favour by, just, holding off the West Indies challenge last night to seal qualification for the quarter-finals, it’s all to play for. Ireland’s cricketers …

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ODI: Ireland v Pakistan

A four from the last ball of the game by Kevin O’Brien saw Ireland secure a draw in Thursday’s rain affected One-Day International against Pakistan [Duckworth-Lewis applied].  Ireland’s 275 for 5 included 103 runs from 107 balls by Paul “that kid is a freak” Stirling.  Going into today’s second ODI in the two game series, Ireland were confident of an upset against the test match playing Pakistan.  Put in to bat, Ireland made a defendable 229 for 9.  And they’ve picked up some early Pakistan wickets with the …

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Friday Thread: Lessons from Pakistan on building and integrating education…

Pakistan is a country of 180 million people, that’s a 100 times the size of Northern Ireland. Unlike Ireland, north and south, its never had the infrastructure or the cultural inclination to prioritise mass education. Only half their kids actually go to school. But like Ireland, again north and south, there is a high reliance on religious schooling to deliver what education actually exists. As Anwar notes in the introduction to this video: If you walk down any street in …

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King 1963: I have a dream. Obama 2013: I have a drone

In 1963 Martin Luther King Jr stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and gave his famous “I have a dream” speech. Today, fifty years on, in tribute to the great civil rights leader, the US marks Martin Luther King Jr Day with a federal holiday in his name. Today also sees Barack Obama take to the steps of the city’s Capitol Building for his second public inauguration as President of the United States of America. …

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ODI: Ireland v Pakistan

After a disappointing performance in the first One-Day International against Pakistan on Saturday, Ireland’s cricketers won the toss and elected to bat today at Stormont.  And they’ve set Pakistan a solid target of 239 from their 50 overs.  As the cricinfo report says, A brilliant, belligerent century by Paul Stirling gave Ireland hope of levelling the two-match RSA Series in Belfast today. An ODI win for Ireland against Pakistan, a full ICC member, could have implications for Ireland’s ICC World Cup 2015 hopes. Cricinfo scorecard …

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“If Pakistan cannot or will not act…”

A “war of words” has broken out between the US and Pakistan over the former’s decision to launch a “unauthorised unilateral action” resulting in the targeted killing of Osama Bin Laden on Pakistani soil. There were some relevant comments made at the first White House press briefing [2 May] following Bin Laden’s death.  At the start of the briefing the Obama Administration Press Secretary, John Carney, quoted Barack Obama in July 2008 – “We must make it clear that, if Pakistan cannot or will …

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“Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics…”

Over a month after US President Barack Obama’s unilateral decision to authorize US forces to use missile strikes “kinetic military action” against Libya without the approval of Congress, and the UN withdraws from Tripoli as its offices, and other foreign missions, are attacked in the aftermath of a NATO air strike on one of Muammar Gadafy’s homes. In addition, “world leaders and security experts have urged renewed vigilance against retaliatory attacks” after President Obama authorised a targeted killing, of Osama bin Laden, on Pakistani soil – …

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