Ireland leave the world cup on a high note despite Sri Lankan defeat

ST GEORGE'S, Grenada, April 19, 2007 (AFP) - Ireland captain Trent Johnston said not even an eight-wicket World Cup defeat by Sri Lanka could erase the memories of the reception his team received after their win against Pakistan.









Johnston's largely amateur side bowed out of their first World Cup tournament by being skittled out for 77 - the lowest score of this tournament and the sixth lowest in the competition's history - at the Grenada National Stadium here Wednesday in their final Super Eights match.

But the 32-year-old Australia born all-rounder, who hit the winning runs in a three-wicket defeat of Pakistan in Jamaica last month in a stunning St Patrick's Day win that knocked the 1992 champions out of the World Cup, said he would never forget what happened afterwards.

"When we hopped off the bus after the Pakistan game and went to visit our family and friends in Ochos Rios, that was the highlight for me, without a shadow of a doubt," Johnston said.

"The reception we got...I probably walked about two metres in 50 minutes just with people congratulating me, people wanting to talk to you and sign things.

"That's never been seen before with Irish cricket and that was definitely the moment for me of the whol