CricTracker Exclusive: Gary Wilson is excited to play with Colin Ingram and Shahid Afridi in Euro T20 Slam

Ireland captain Gary Wilson has seen it all. Ever since he made his international debut for Ireland in 2007, the cricket in the country has come a long way. It was one of the big moments in the history of Ireland cricket when the ICC awarded them with the full-member with which they also became eligible to play Tests with the top nations across the world.

Gary Wilson was also part of the history when Ireland took the field against Pakistan in their first-ever Test match and it goes without saying that they were impressive. Always known to punch above their weight, Ireland have qualified for yet another T20 World Cup which is slated to take place next year in Australia. They stood at the third place in the qualifying tournament with the Netherlands and Papua New Guinea taking the top two spots.

Being the skipper, Gary Wilson is looking forward and in conversation with CricTracker, he spoke at length about the team’s performance in the T20 World Cup Qualifier and Euro T20 Slam.

Here are the excerpts:

How has been the captaincy experience so far?

When I was asked to be the captain of the Irish team, it was a very proud moment for me and my family. Since taking it on, we’ve been playing some good cricket, slightly inconsistent at times but I think you’re going to get that from a young side. As a team, we’ve made some good strides in the last 12-18 months. Hopefully, we take that forward as we go to Australia.

Euro T20 Slam, unfortunately, couldn’t go ahead this year. But it is expected to take place in 2020. Being the part of the Belfast Titans, alongside which player you are more excited to play?

It was unfortunate that Euro T20 Slam couldn’t go ahead this year. We’re looking forward to it next year. I think we’ve got some great players at Belfast Titans. I played a lot against Colin Ingram and Shahid Afridi, world-class players. I am really looking forward to it. Euro T20 Slam will be imperative to the future of Irish T20 cricket and hopefully, we can go from strength to strength.

Which opposition team impressed you the most in T20 WC qualifier?

I think as a whole, the World Cup Qualifier was incredibly impressive standard wise. I thought the Dutch were the deserved winners and they were probably the standout team. We also performed well in parts but undoubtedly the Dutch side had some very experienced players and they fairly deserved the victory.

How did the team adapt to conditions in the UAE for T20 WC qualifier?

After having won the tri-series, we went to the UAE in good form. We probably slightly misread the conditions. Whenever we’ve gone to the UAE in the past, there have been incredibly good and true pitches with good carry. And this time around, they were a little bit slower and it spun a lot.

We weren’t expecting that and I thought we adjusted as well as we could’ve. Having said that, to finish third in the competition, I know it is something that we can be satisfied with and at the end of the day, we are in another World Cup. So it is pleasing in that regard and looking forward to Australia next year.

Explain the moment when ICC handed Ireland a full-member status.

Yeah! Obviously a very proud moment when we realized that we’ve got full membership from the ICC. Something that a lot of players and administrators and everyone involved in Irish cricket has worked a long way towards it for a number of years. So incredibly proud and it was a very emotional moment for a lot of people. We deserved to be at the top table and hopefully, now we can give it a go.

Who is your favourite international captain?

There are so many good captains in international T20 cricket around the world. I think it would be unfair to single out any particular captain. You’ve got the likes of Aaron Finch, my good friend, Eoin Morgan, Kane Williamson, all the guys are doing an incredible job.

But I’ve got a huge amount of respect for all the captains in international cricket. It’s a tough job and everyone does it to the best of their ability and I’ve no doubt that any captain or any team we will be up against, it will be tough opposition.