Ireland play their second Group D match against Pakistan on their national day and victory would eliminate Pakistan and put the Irish on the cusp of qualification for the Super Eights stage.

They kicked off their campaign in the seven-week World Cup which culminates in the final on April 28 in Barbados with a thrilling tie on Thursday with Zimbabwe.

Win, lose, or tie, though, the Irish are getting ready for an almighty party on Saturday on the north coast of Jamaica, where the majority of the Irish fans have based themselves.

The Irish traditionally drink their home country's speciality, Guinness, on the special day.

"The majority of us are going to spend the evening with our families up in Ochos Rios -- hopefully it will be fantastic," Ireland batsman Eoin Morgan told Reuters.

"None of us had a drink after the Zimbabwe match. Our fans came over and sang to us, which was brilliant, but we didn't have a drink."

Team manager Roy Torrens said the reputation of Irish people for enjoying a tipple is not that accurate in the case of the cricket team.

"When we have a team dinner, all you can see is 12 Pepsis, two lemonades and a shandy," Torrens told Reuters

Captain Trent Johnston said of the Pakistan match: "St Patrick's Day is a special day for Ireland and to be playing cricket and having the opportunity to qualify for the next round, if we play out of our skins, is huge.

"But it is just another game of cricket and we can't emphasise it too much. We've just got to go out there and enjoy the match and cherish the feelings of being here."