GARY Wilson will tomorrow complete two visits to New Zealand and he has yet to play a game of cricket. The Surrey professional has been the forgotten man on Ireland’s pre-WorldCup acclimatisation tour, so badly affected by injuries and withdrawals.

William Por terfield and Andrew White have both left the tour, reducing the playing squad to 14 but, that has been effectively 13 for the duration of the last two weeks as Wilson injured his shoulder in his second game, against the ACT Comets in Canberra, and has been a drinks carrier for the last four games, missing every deadline to return to match action, right down to the last game, against Otago overnight.

“We started with an 18-man squad, but Paul Stirling’s bad back and Tim Murtagh’s knee problem meant they couldn’t even travel, Whitey broke a finger and my shoulder. It’s no-one’s fault. Maybe coming off a long season has made a difference,” is Wilson’s take on the team’s bad luck.

That ill-luck even extended to the weather when Ireland’s plum game of the tour against the New Zealand XI was washed out on the only day when the squad have seen rain. But at least they did get two games at Canberra and one at Hamilton, two of their venues at next year’s World Cup.

We now have good information on how to play there. It's good we play South Africa in Canberra because it's low and slow, although Hamilton is quite small and flat which will suit India! But it is a great experience for us to play at the grounds, one of the main reasons for the trip."

Since Wilson has been out here, the controversial book, KP, The Autobiography, has appeared on the bookshelves and there is no-one in the Irish squad closer to Kevin Pietersen than Wilson. After all, he was his county captain on the former England star’s rare appearances for Surrey.

"I haven’t read the book,” is Wilson’s instant response. “But he was absolutely fine in the Surrey dressing room. He didn't bring anything negative to the dressing room.

“I can't comment on what happened with England, there are two sides to every story. I'm sure even in the England camp, the decision on him is split. Some people will say what he saying is true and others not."

But Surrey and Wilson were always happy to have him in the side.

“No-one knew how this year was going to pan out, we were only too happy to sign him just for the Twenty20 Cup. He would have liked to have scored more runs, but I have no idea what’s going to happen to him going forward,” added Wilson.

Looking back at his first season as captain, he described being “hugely proud” and particularly delighted that the captaincy didn’t affect his form with the bat.

“My form actually improved after a lot of hard work in the nets and I was able to lead with the bat and in the dressing room as well.”

The offer of captaincy, Wilson admitted, wasn’t a complete surprise but it still came in unusual circumstances.

“When Graeme Smith (the recently retired South Africa skipper) went home we had to find a new captain.

Gareth Batty wasn't playing first-team cricket, Vikram Solanki had family issues and I was the only real choice at the end, otherwise it would have been a choice between the three of us, said the 28- year-old

“I thought I was in with a shout but never really believed it would happen. It was during a T20 warm-up game for the Seconds that the Academy director said ‘don't be surprised if you are asked’ and next day, during a hit with Fordy (first-team coach Graham Ford) he asked ‘would I be interested’. I said ‘I would be honoured’ and he then continued throwing balls at me. He then said ‘I think you're my guy’.

“An hour later, Alex Stewart (the former England Test captain and Surrey’s Director of Cricket) called me into his office and shook my hand and said ‘Congratulations’. It doesn't really get better than this.”

Apart from Surrey 2nds and Ireland Under 19s I hadn't done much captaincy, but they obviously thought I had leadership qualities and they liked my influence in the dressing room as well. I’m hugely proud.”

Wilson, despite playing 169 games for Ireland, still seems to be way down the line to lead his country, behind Porterfield and Kevin O’Brien but, for now, he can’t wait for Ireland’s next match action, against New Zealand in Dubai at the end of next month, just desperate to get back in the middle and, finally, start preparing for the World Cup.