Ireland’s unpredicted success means the offspinner Kyle McCallan will have to make a special request for more time off school. The minnows are almost assured of another four weeks in the Caribbean after beating Pakistan and McCallan, a Belfast physical education teacher, is about to contact the headmistress.

"Personally I'm due to go back on April 1 and will have to ring and ask her to give me another few weeks off," McCallan told the BBC. "But it's great prestige for the school where I work and for the rest of the employers.”

McCallan is not satisfied with the team’s amazing opening, which includes a tie with Zimbabwe, and wants to add West Indies to the list of victims on Friday. "I'll be honest and say we did think we could do this,” he said. “Coach Adrian Birrell has instilled a sense of belief that we're capable of creating an upset."