Ireland have once again found themselves in another controversy, just days after their wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien lost his bag containing his bats. This time, reports are coming that the Irish were asked to pay for damages discovered in their dressing room after their match against India last Sunday.
According to Indian media reports, the Ireland cricket management has paid 23,000 rupees to the local cricket association to cover the damages. Apparently a door in the dressing room was broken. Reports suggest that the incident happened when the door was accidentally pushed outwards instead of inwards, which caused the bottom hinge to break.
The Ireland management has chosen not to name the player responsible for the incident. Getting entangled in a controversy with the local administration was perhaps the last thing the Irish management wanted and for this reason the fine was paid without any hassle.
Meanwhile India’s all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who was the man of the match in the Ireland-India clash, has come forward to help Niall O’Brien cover his loss of six bats that were in his bag that has gone missing. Singh has offered O’ Brien two of his bats, which may come in handy during Ireland’s do-or-die match against West Indies this Friday. “It is a wonderful gesture from Yuvraj and I’m very grateful. However, I am confident that the bats will arrive from my sponsor in time for Friday,” said O’Brien.
According to insiders, O’Brien’s sponsor Gray Nicolls, have a factory near Chandigarh and have assured the Irish cricketer that they would provide him with the necessary gear in time before the next fixture. Initially when O’ Brien’s sports kit disappeared, the Ireland management informed the local police before contacting the local cricket association responsible for hosting the players in the venue. The cricket association did not like the police getting involved in their matters and had expressed annoyance over the issue.
However, Cricket Ireland released a statement yesterday, explaining the reason for reporting the matter to the police. “To enable Niall to claim compensation from his insurance company, we reported the matter to the local police station. This was done to secure a police incident number, without which the insurance company will not entertain his claim,” the statement said.
According to Indian media reports, the Ireland cricket management has paid 23,000 rupees to the local cricket association to cover the damages. Apparently a door in the dressing room was broken. Reports suggest that the incident happened when the door was accidentally pushed outwards instead of inwards, which caused the bottom hinge to break.
The Ireland management has chosen not to name the player responsible for the incident. Getting entangled in a controversy with the local administration was perhaps the last thing the Irish management wanted and for this reason the fine was paid without any hassle.
Meanwhile India’s all-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who was the man of the match in the Ireland-India clash, has come forward to help Niall O’Brien cover his loss of six bats that were in his bag that has gone missing. Singh has offered O’ Brien two of his bats, which may come in handy during Ireland’s do-or-die match against West Indies this Friday. “It is a wonderful gesture from Yuvraj and I’m very grateful. However, I am confident that the bats will arrive from my sponsor in time for Friday,” said O’Brien.
According to insiders, O’Brien’s sponsor Gray Nicolls, have a factory near Chandigarh and have assured the Irish cricketer that they would provide him with the necessary gear in time before the next fixture. Initially when O’ Brien’s sports kit disappeared, the Ireland management informed the local police before contacting the local cricket association responsible for hosting the players in the venue. The cricket association did not like the police getting involved in their matters and had expressed annoyance over the issue.
However, Cricket Ireland released a statement yesterday, explaining the reason for reporting the matter to the police. “To enable Niall to claim compensation from his insurance company, we reported the matter to the local police station. This was done to secure a police incident number, without which the insurance company will not entertain his claim,” the statement said.
Hussey, who has not been in the greatest of forms, was seen struggling to find good touch with the bat during the later half of the 2010-11 Ashes series. He still seemed out of touch as he scored just 21 runs in the first ODI at the MCG on Sunday. 
