The Ireland players, on returning home from the World Cup, showed their humility by turning down a chance for an open-top bus ride through the city as a heroes welcome. The reason? Because they felt they didn’t deserve a welcome of such a large scale with two wins out of nine games. Those who would have lined the streets of Dublin instead headed to the airport to give their team a rousing reception, the Belfast Telegraph reported.

It was a pleasant turn of events for a team full of amateurs which set off for the West Indies with pre-set plans, all of which had to be shelved. On such member of the touring party, coach Adrian Birrell, planned a family holiday to Mexico on the blissful assumption that his side wouldn’t get past the group stages. Was he complaining? Perish the thought…

"I'm glad I'm here for this homecoming,” exclaimed Birrell. “For me it is the pinnacle of my coaching career. Nothing has matched up to this. I'm very grateful to the players and very satisfied in the way we played cricket in the West Indies.”