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3 games played for the Irish and 3 defeats, with widely varied performances. The fielding in the Zimbabwe game was exceptional, and in Gary Wilson, ireland have as good an exponent in the art as any team in the competition. His running catch in that first game was as good as you'll see anywhere. The bowling has been a real mixed bag, with Neil Gill doing well in the first 2 games, but suffering at the hands of Nepal captain Chaugai. What a player he is - I'm trying to see if he can fit in my suitcase to get him back to Ardmore!

Eoin Morgan looked good against England with his 28, and followed that up with a classy 86. Gary Wilson batted superbly after a slow start to nearly win the game. 4 runs - just one hit away from beating the old enemy! There were a lot of ifs and buts after - a couple of missed catches, a caught behind not given, and a couple of nedless run outs. Still, a good performance and one which everyone felt proud of - England knew they had got of jail.

Big Niall Mc Darby has certainly grabbed his chance to open the bowling - 9 wickets in 2 games to be the tournament's joint leading wicket taker. His parents flew in the other day, so they have obviously inspired him. Gary Kidd has bowled with great control and deserved his 2 wickets against Nepal. Of the other spinners Greg Thompson has been well below his best, and James Hall and Andrew Poynter have had their moments. Still, the bowling hasn't fired as a unit, conceding too many extras, and failing to exert any real pressure on the opposition.

The batting too has been below par. The loss of Mc Kee to a finger injury has been a major factor. Richard Stirling doesn't look comfortable in that role, but showed what he can do in the middle order, when he guided Ireland to their warm up win over Scotland. The middle order, with the exception of Morgam,  struggle to score against the spinners in the crucial overs between 20-35. They don't seem able to rotate the strike, either by scampering singles or manufacturing shots. That increases the pressure as the run rate climbs and they have been found lacking.

The fielding has been varied, with it being great against Zimbabwe ( a case of the ball going to the right fielders), but below the required standard in the last 2 games. Too many of the guys lack pace and mobility, and in these conditions of heat and humidity, there is no hiding place.

There's no doubt the team has the potential to beat New Zealand at the Test Match venue on Tuesday, but it will require everyone to perform together, one or two individual contributions won't be enough. As the Australians say, "It's time to come to the party!"

Off the field and the opening ceremony took place last Saturday night. The media invitations arrived belatedly, but under the proviso no photography was allowed. It was lucky I didn't bring the camera as two of the major papers photographers were evicted for trying to take pics. What a furore that caused in the local press out here. Can you imagine Rowland White and Billy Mc Leod being turfed out of Stormont or the City Hall! To be fair the ICC did offer the use of any pics they took, and 2 duly arrived in record time for use on the site.

The elephant featured in the ceremony behaved itself much to my disappointment - I wanted a repeat of the famous Blue Peter clip when it went on the rampage. The speeches were long and boring, but I'll listen to anybody when the food and drink are free!

"Poya" day came as a bit of a shock to the system - no alcohol allowed all day! Still as a veteran of the times when there was no drinking allowed on a Sunday back in Ireland, we managed to overcome the local "Prohibition". Bribery always gets results, particularly when you realise just how low paid the Sri Lankans are compared to the UK - a doctor earns �60 per month! I would love to have seen the waiter pouring the wine from under the table in case other diners saw him,  as Steve Hall and his family dined for the evening!

Shopping over here is incredibly cheap, and I've bought my entire wardrobe for the West Indies next year for about �60. If coloured clothing comes into play in the Irish Senior Cup or the 20/20 cups, Ardmore will be playing in Sri Lankan One Day colours - the team could be kitted out for �30.

Coping well with the food, but if I never see rice again, it will be too soon. The sunshine and the Indian Ocean does the heart good - after the downs of the cricket, it's hard to stay low when you look out of the hotel window of the 5 star Galadari, and see the magnificent views. I've started walking on the beach at 8 in the morning, and when you consider that back home my mother has to ask me if I want a late breakfast or an early lunch brought to bed, yu know how uplifting the sea and sunshine can be.

Let's hope that the next report from the diary brings news of an Irish win.