FAST AND FURIOUS

McCarthy adds edge as Ireland target second win

ONE of the heartening things about Ireland’s hammering of West Indies in Clontarf on Wednesday was the performance of the three debutants.

None of the trio of Liam McCarthy, Tom Mayes and Cade Carmichael tore up the trees, but all demonstrated that their abilities were worthy of a place at that level.

McCarthy was unlucky not to pick up a wicket — Lorcan Tucker stretched as far as he could down the leg side to no avail — but impressed with pace, verve and surprising bounce.

With two more games in the series, the 23-year-old Railway Union man will be hoping to get a few more overs under his belt.

McCarthy had just left school in South Africa — St Stithian’s in Johannesburg, the alma mater of Curtis Campher — when he reached out to Railway Union in the spring of 2021. Not great timing with the world still in turmoil from a deadly coronavirus.

With a name like Liam McCarthy, he had always been fully aware of his Irish heritage and was keen to come to Dublin to pursue his ambitions. Railway club officer Simon Grehan explained to him that Covid had decimated the league programme and the club would be playing only six or seven T20s —and he would have to go into quarantine for seven days on arrival. It will hardly be worth your while, he was told.

But McCarthy bit the bullet, did the time and joined the Railway Union first XI.

He bowled only 54 overs all summer, but took 16 wickets and started attracting attention, winning an interpro cap with Munster in September. The following year he took 34 club wickets and has now racked up 99 senior wickets for Railway and over 1,000 runs as well.

He has been a Munster Reds regular since 2022, with his 5-16 demolition of North-West Warriors in September 2023 attracting Ireland’s selectors and winning a place on ‘A’ team tours to West Indies and Nepal.

He played for the Wolves again in Abu Dhabi this spring and when injury robbed Heinrich Malan of several front-line seamers McCarthy was called up.

He has a reputation as being the fastest bowler in the competitive Leinster Premier League.

Kenny Carroll, former Ireland opening batsman who played at the 2007 World Cup, has faced all the best bowlers to play in Dublin for the past 20 years, and believes McCarthy to be as quick as any of them.

‘He’s very fit, and he still has that whippiness,’ he said.

‘He hasn’t got that gym bulk that can slow you down sometimes. He’s a nice action and asks lots of questions of the batsman.’

Carroll reels off a short list of genuine pacey bowlers, qualifying most of them with the comment that ‘they were very quick for a year or two at the start, but slowed down a bit’.

In that category he puts Josh Little, David Delany, Max Sorensen, David Langford-Smith and Roger Whelan.

The exception to that is Barry McCarthy, who blew away the cream of West Indies batting on Wednesday.

‘Barry’s actually got quicker as he’s got older — he’s fitter and a lot stronger now I reckon.’

And now Barry has another McCarthy bowling alongside him in the team — the only men of that surname ever to play for Ireland, although Barry’s sister Louise preceded him as an international.

It’s early days, but should the McCarthys and Tom Mayes continue to impress, there will need to be a rethink on Ireland’s bowling resources as World Cup 2027 approaches.

Craig Young has just passed 35 although he was the pick of the T20 bowlers in Zimbabwe in February. Graham Hume will also be 35 in November and a liability in the field, but the most economical seamer in ODIs.

Little, Campher, Barry McCarthy and Mark Adair are nailed on but the newcomers will battle with the likes of Fionn Hand to join the party.

Over the horizon, youngsters David O’Sullivan, Byron McDonough, Jordan Neill, Reuben Wilson and Matt Foster will push to get opportunities.

Today’s second ODI will continue the process for bowling coach Ryan Eagleson as he prepares for the October 2027 event in southern Africa.