Ireland captain delivers ‘virtual batting masterclass’

London, April 20 (IANS) Amid the ongoing crisis due to coronavirus outbreak, Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie is providing a “virtual batting masterclasses” to budding cricketers and has given academy players a batting lesson in their own homes.

Nineteen squad members from the men’s senior and emerging academy squads, and talent pathway coaches, recently participated in an interactive session which lasted for 45 minutes.

“I felt if I could help them by providing an insight into what my thinking was in certain scenarios, that might be of value,” BBC Sport quoted Balbirnie as saying.

“I haven’t done too many ‘virtual’ sessions, but it was very interesting.

“Playing in subcontinent conditions is a big part of any international cricketer’s career, so we talked about how to go about setting up an innings, particularly in testing conditions like India where spin plays such a huge part,” he added while revealing the lessons he touched upon during the session.

Ireland’s tour of Zimbabwe and a seven-match series against Bangladesh scheduled in May have been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic which has so far claimed more than 1.6 lakh lives across the globe and has brought the entire sporting calendar to a grinding halt.

–IANS

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