WHEN Kyle McCallan made his Ireland debut 12 summers ago, the idea of anyone playing 200 internationals was not even on the radar.

Stephen Warke, the long-time captain and opening batsman, had just retired with 114 caps to his name but it had taken him 15 years before, at 36 years of age, he called time on his Ireland career. Tomorrow, at Stormont, McCallan will play his 199th game for his country so, at long as at least one ball is bowled, he will make it to the magic 200 on Monday in the second one day international, against Kenya.

The third and final game of the series against the 1996 World Cup semi finalists is on Wednesday, McCallan�s 33rd birthday, so age should not be a factor in the Waringstown all-rounder chalking up a third century of caps. At the rate Ireland are playing games, it will take barely three years!

For the moment, the player who has played 74 games more than any other Ireland international has the desire, but he is not looking too far ahead.

�My focus is on the ICC (World Cup) qualifiers (next March/April) but there is now a tremendous commitment required and playing international cricket has to be squared against the time away from work and home. But, you are a long-time retired so as long as I can contribute I will play as long as I possibly can. but other factors have to be taken into account,� said McCallan whose wife of four years, Lynne, is a regular at Ireland matches home and away.

When Kyle made his first Ireland appearance, against Wales at Rathmines in June 1996, he was, in effect, Warke�s replacement as opening batsman, his off-spin bowling only occasionally used by captain Justin Benson. He scored 17 and 26 in his first match - they were the days Ireland played as many two-innings matches as one-dayers - but took five wickets so, even then, he gave a hint of what was ahead.

Still, he bowled in only three of his next eight Ireland games and a century in his second match, against MCC, earned him only one game in in each of the victorious Triple Crown and European Championship squads that season.

Being a non-playing member of the squad was to be a familiar experience for McCallan in his first year as an international, most cruelly of all when he spent three weeks in Malaysia at the ICC Trophy without playing in one of Ireland�s 10 matches. Looking back, McCallan appreciates what hat a good learning curve he was on.

�It actually did me no harm and probably a lot of good,� he recalls. �It taught me that you had to earn your games for Ireland. I was competing with people like Garfield Harrison, Neil Doak and Decker Curry and at the time I just wasn�t good enough.�

It was the retirement of Harrison, after Ireland�s failed bid to reach the 1999 World Cup finals, which opened the door for McCallan to become an Ireland regular and by 2000 he had replaced Angus Dunlop as captain. It was to be short-lived, however, as the disastrous 2001 ICC Trophy, under National Coach Ken Rutherford, cost both men their jobs.

Back in the ranks - he was still No 2 to Jason Molins - it was the arrival of Adi Birrell as coach that improved McCallan�s game.

�Adi identified my job in the team, to bowl cheap overs in the middle of the innings. It was up to (Andre) Botha and me to bowl our overs for just 40 runs,� said Kyle. He hasn�t looked back and, 120 games after his first under Birrell, McCallan is bowling better than ever.

�It�s a question of confidence and it is thanks to the World Cup finals (last year). The team played to their limits in the West Indies and I looked what I did against the best players in the world and the confidence you take from that is bound to make you a better bowler. I left the World Cup feeling I belonged there and now I have a confidence in where I�m landing the ball.�

As for the batting, although now coming into a very strong line-up sometimes as low as No 10, he feels he has a role to play.

�I still see myself as a batter, but it�s now a case of coming in and giving it a slap at the end,� says McCallan who modestly fails to mention that his �slapping� has brought him 267 runs this year at an average of 44.5. And he has batted only once in Ireland�s last nine innings!

As for the next four days, he knows Kenya will be tough opposition but it is not just McCallan who is playing with confidence.

�We�ll be looking to go out and put down a marker before we go out there in October, but the team is going well. We�ve retained the European Championships, reached the World Twenty20 and are still on course to reach the Inter-Continental Cup final again. They will have to play well to beat us,� says McCallan.

The whole of Irish cricket is just praying that he will stay around long enough to be part of such an exciting future but, for now, it is all the best from everyone involved as Kyle McCallan closes in on 200 not out.