T20 World Cup: Ireland have 'nothing to fear' in Super 12s encounter with England

Ireland have "nothing to fear" when they take on England at the T20 World Cup on Wednesday - according to a player who represented both countries.

Former fast bowler Boyd Rankin believes Ireland can win their second Super 12s match.

Ireland go into the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground having lost heavily in their second-stage opener to Sri Lanka.

"Any Ireland against England fixture is special," Rankin said.

"I think it's that connection of being so close to one another, old rivals, and there's obviously a whole history between the two countries.

"It's a special fixture to be a part of, and hopefully we [Ireland] can put up a good show. They're playing good T20I cricket right now, but we've shown in the past that we can beat them and there's no reason why we can't do so again this week.

"Perhaps not our younger players, but a few guys in our squad will have come up against these guys in county cricket quite regularly. There should be nothing to fear."

While they played a behind-closed-doors warm-up match against Namibia at the MCG a few weeks ago, Wednesday will be the first time many of the Irish squad will have played a competitive game at the famous Melbourne venue.

Rankin is one of eight cricketers born in Ireland to have played for England

Rankin, who played in an one-day international for England at the MCG in 2014, believes the ground has a special atmosphere the players should enjoy - while also treating that match as they would "any other game of cricket".

"That game [for England in 2014] is a fond cricketing memory," he recalled.

"It's a historic ground with a brilliant atmosphere. I watched the India versus Pakistan game over the weekend and the atmosphere was unreal. Hopefully, we can get something similar on Wednesday.

"It's about taking it all in and enjoying the atmosphere because these experiences don't come around very often.

"At the same time, it's just another game of cricket. You have to go out and do what you've been doing, and you just have to back your skills on the day.

"I've been impressed with how our bowlers have gone about their business over the past few games - they've been switched on and bowled with clear plans, so I wouldn't say they need to do anything different.

"I think Heinrich [Malan], Eagy [Ryan Eagleson] and the support staff have put a lot of faith in the bowlers, and the bowlers have largely responded in kind."

'Start of a new era' for Ireland squad

Friday's win over West Indies saw Ireland reach the Super 12 stage of a T20 World Cup for only the second time.

Rankin was in the last Irish squad to do so - in 2009 - and believes this progression by the current group could be hugely significant for international cricket in Ireland.

"It's massive from a Cricket Ireland point of view and hopefully the start of a new era for this relatively young squad," he said.

"This is only the second time in seven attempts that we've qualified which highlights the scale of the achievement. The fact that a lot of our competitors are entirely focused on T20I cricket these days only adds to it."

• Their dream home turned into a nightmare: A brand-new paranormal cold case investigation

• Fancy watching a movie tonight?: Check out the stellar collection of films on BBC iPlayer