T20 Cricket News

Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, has accused his side of 'complacency' after they slumped to defeat against Afghanistan in the World Twenty20 warm-up game on Wednesday.

Ireland lost 3-0 to West Indies XI earlier this month and were also defeated by New Zealand on Tuesday. It's a sequence of results that does not bode well for a side that has a proud record in global tournaments recently and Simmons could not hide his disappointment after a lacklustre performance that saw Ireland slip to 32 for 5 at one point.

"I can't express my thoughts," he said. "We didn't start the game well. We can't have five wickets down for 30 runs in eight or nine overs and expect to be competitive in a game. It's a case of complacency and bad batting as a whole. We've just got to make sure that we get rid of that complacency."

Ireland's batting woes have hampered the side since arriving in the Caribbean. They have passed 150 only once in the five Twenty20 matches they have played but Simmons insists his team can bounce back.

"We lost four going into the World Twenty20 in England last year and we lost two coming into the [50-over] World Cup here three years ago so that does nothing for us," he said.

"The thing about it is that before yesterday and today we had done everything that we wanted to do leading up to the competition. Two days doesn't change anything. I think it's a case of us making sure that between Thursday and Friday morning that mentally we get prepared for what it the biggest game since we've been on this tour."

Ireland play their opening match on Friday against Simmons' native West Indies at Guyana. "We've had two bad days but two bad days don't make a summer, as they say. I think we still have the desire to come on Friday and perform."

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