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When we walked out on to the field there was a group of Pakistani supporters on the right-hand side and they were giving us all sorts of stick - You should be back in the pub and you should be drinking Guinness celebrating St Patricks Day. You dont play cricket. So Ireland captain Trent Johnston later recalled of St Patricks Day 2007. By the end of the day, Johnstons match-clinching six out of Sabina Park had knocked Pakistan out of the World Cup - and proved to them, and the world, that Ireland do indeed play cricket.Now Pakistan go to Ireland with the World Cup on their minds: not the ghosts of 2007, but 2019. While the contraction of the World Cup to ten teams is viewed exclusively as an Associate issue, one consequence is that, for the first time ever, Pakistan are in danger of missing out on the World Cup.For all the buoyancy surrounding their magnificent Test win at The Oval, Pakistan lie in ninth position in the ODI rankings, seven points behind West Indies. If that does not change before September 30 next year, Pakistan will be forced into a cut-throat qualifying tournament, in which only two of the ten competing sides will progress to the 2019 World Cup. For now, the criticism of one-day internationals as lacking context does not apply to Pakistan.That Pakistans World Cup participation is in jeopardy at the very moment when they are on the brink of becoming the No. 1 Test nation in the world only serves to accentuate the differences in their performances across the two formats of the game. They have lost their last five ODIs.We can improve our ranking: we know were far better than where were ranked at the moment, one-day captain Azhar Ali said. There are a lot of reasons behind our one-day performances. Weve lost a lot of experienced players in the recent past. The youngsters are coming in and need a bit of time to get settled. We need a bit of consistency in selection - we have to back the guys who are coming into the squad. In the last few years we didnt perform to all aspects of the game.Pakistans bowling remains a potent force in ODI cricket. But in their athleticism in the field, and, more pertinently, their power-hitting and approach to batting, Pakistan have been left behind.Our performances are not as consistent as in Test cricket, and we need to really improve our skills, Azhar said. The fielding is really important, and the way the scores have really gone up in the last year or so - we have to really match that. Weve been discussing this for the last six months or so that we really need to catch up with the way other teams are playing their cricket.You need to go at a good pace in one-day cricket. That doesnt necessarily have to be big hitting all the time. We play a lot of dot balls in one-day cricket so we need to improve that and keep rotating the strike.Pakistan hope that the return of Sharjeel Khan will reinvigorate the top order. After an underwhelming start to his ODI career in 2013-14, averaging just 17.63 in 11 matches, Sharjeel has been recalled, following a fine tour for Pakistan A in England and an encouraging WT20 tournament. He will be expected to provide belligerence and six appeal: he hit seven sixes during an innings of 125 against England Lions last month, and has a strike rate of over 100 in List A cricket.Hasan Ali and Mohammad Nawaz, a pair of 22-year-olds who have also impressed for Pakistan A - Ali is a pace bowler, Nawaz an allrounder who bowls left-arm spin - might get selected for their ODI debuts, as Pakistan accelerate their attempts to overhaul the side. It would also help if Azhar himself extended his Test form to the ODI game: he has not made a half-century since last July.Ireland also approach the series in a state of uncertainty: they have slipped to 12th in the ODI rankings and, three years after a tie with Pakistan at Clontarf, 10km away from Malahide, are still awaiting an ODI victory against a Full Member in Dublin.Its time we not only put ourselves in positions to win games but actually win game, the captain William Porterfield said. We need to be learning. If you look at the records of the teams starting off in international cricket weve got one of the best.The batting line-ups overdependence upon Ed Joyce, who scored two undefeated centuries in the 2-2 draw with Afghanistan, is worrying: Ireland have been well-beaten in the four ODIs this summer in which Joyce has not scored a hundred. The return of Niall OBrien, who scored 72 at Sabina Park nine years ago, will help, but confusion still surrounds the role of Paul Stirling.Though he has scored two ODI centuries opening against Pakistan, and continues to open for Middlesex in white-ball cricket, Stirling was deployed at No.6 against Afghanistan, and is expected to be used as a finisher again against Pakistan, even though Porterfield said, Long-term I see him at the top of the order. I think hes most feared at the top.If Boyd Rankins absence deprived Ireland of a unique threat, succession planning with the ball is progressing more smoothly than with the bat. Barry McCarthy, a zesty cricketer who seams the ball, has taken 14 wickets in his first six ODIs and impressed for Durham, while Peter Chase and Craig Young are now both fit after a series of injury concerns.Weve gone through a transition ourselves in the last two years, Porterfield reflected. Against Afghanistan we had 70 caps in our whole attack, bar Kevin OBrien. Thats the exciting thing for ourselves. A lot of the lads coming in are under 23 or 24 and looking to stake their claims. We just need more games for them to build up their experience, so when the next World Cup comes around theyve got a battery of games under their belt.If the pitch is unlikely to be as green as that in Jamaica nine years ago, it will be more conducive to seam than when Ireland played Sri Lanka at Malahide in June. Ireland have the chance not merely to record another victory against Pakistan, to add to that one Johnston led them to in the Caribbean, but also to increase the pressure on crickets governing elite to make good on the promise of progressive reform.Wholesale Custom Padres Shirts . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. Custom Ozzie Smith Jersey . 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They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end.KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The reigning Southern Conference champions opened their season by continuing their recent mastery of the Southeastern Conference.Justin Tuoyo and Tre McLean each posted double-doubles Friday as Chattanooga won 82-69 at Tennessee to snap the Volunteers 24-game winning streak in home openers.This marked the second straight year that Chattanooga has opened the season by beating a Southeastern Conference team. The Mocs tipped off their 2015-16 campaign with a 92-90 overtime victory at Georgia, and they went on to win the Southern Conferences regular-season and tournament titles to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.Its great for Chattanooga -- for the city, for the school, McLean said. Its great. I told (teammate) Chuck (Ester) when he was on his visit, `If you come here, were going to shock the world. You look forward to games like this. This is what we came here for, and after last year, this is what we stayed for -- to play games and win games like this.Tennessee hadnt lost a home opener since falling 87-79 to East Tennessee State in 1991.Tuoyo had a career-high 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds in a performance that featured several dunks. McLean had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Greg Pryor had 14 points and Johnathan Burroughs-Cook added 11.Tennessee freshman Jordan Bone had 21 points in his college debut. Lamonte Turner had 12 points and Robert Hubbs III added 11 for Tennessee, which shot 1 of 16 from 3-point range.This game matched Tennessees youth against Chattanoogas experience. Chattanooga has five senior starters. Tennessee has seven true freshmen.Weve got six (total) seniors, players whove been around, great newcomers and a great coaching staff, Tuoyo said. We just feel like we can every game we step out on if we just be on the same page.Tennessee led by as many as seven points in the first half before Chattanooga pulled ahead and gradually took control. McLeans putback at the first-half buzzer gave Chattanooga a 34-29 halftime lead and started a 13-2 run.Theyyre a really good team, Bone said.dddddddddddd Theyre very mature. I feel like teams like that, that are old, they kind of know how to win.BIG PICTUREChattanooga: Casey Jones retuned from an ankle injury that limited the 2015-16 Southern Conference preseason player of the year to eight games last season. Jones looked good when he was on the floor but struggled with foul trouble all night. He scored seven points before fouling out with 5:38 left.Tennessee: With so many new faces, Tennessee may need time to sort out its rotation and establish chemistry. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes wasted no time testing out different combinations, as nine different Vols earned playing time in the first four minutes of the game.COMINGS AND GOINGSChattanooga learned before the game that Xavier transfer Makinde London had been granted an NCAA waiver allowing the 6-foot-10 forward to play right away for the Mocs rather than sitting out the 2016-17 season. London had two points and four rebounds in 16 minutes.The Mocs are playing without Ester, who is out for an extended period of time with a knee injury after making 29 starts last season. Tennessee guard Kwe Parker missed Fridays game and had a walking boot on his left foot. Barnes said Parkers status is day to day.DOUBLY REWARDINGBoth the mens team and womens team at Chattanooga opened the season Friday with victories over Power Five teams. The Chattanooga women won 66-53 at Rutgers.NEW-LOOK VOLSTennessee wore orange candy-stripe pregame warmup pants. The candy-stripe pants were part of Tennessees pregame gear during the tenure of Ray Mears, who coached the Vols from 1962-77. Barnes brought them back this season.UP NEXTChattanooga is at No. 6 North Carolina on Sunday.Tennessee hosts Appalachian State on Tuesday.---More AP College Basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.org---Follow Steve Megargee at www.twitter.com/stevemegargee ' ' '