Ireland captain William Porterfield targeted a quarter-final place at the 2011 World Cup last night after his team — and England — were placed in an apparently favourable group.

Top seeds India and South Africa head up Group B and the line-up is completed by West Indies, Bangladesh, who will play at home, and the Netherlands.

The top four teams from each pool are expected to go through to a straight knockout. Having knocked Pakistan and Zimbabwe out of the 2007 World Cup and eliminated Bangladesh from this year's World Twenty20 — as Porterfield promised they would — the Irish can harbour realistic hopes of another extended adventure in 16 months' time.

'It will obviously be great to have the opportunity of playing India in front of their home crowd at the World Cup, and we will be targeting a quarter-final place — at least a quarter-final place,' Porterfield told Sportsmail from his end-of-season holiday in Tenerife.

Coach Phil Simmons also believes there is no reason to doubt Ireland's chances of finishing in the top four of Group B.

'For me, this would appear to be the better of the two groups,' said Simmons. 'We will look at it as a case of "win three games and we are into the quarter-finals".'

Based on current form, a top-heavy Group A seems the tougher of the two. Three-time reigning champions Australia join the 2007 beaten finalists, Sri Lanka, Champions Trophy runners-up New Zealand and a rejuvenated Pakistan. But Bangladesh at home will be a far sterner proposition than they were in England last June, with Simmons admitting:

'We went there on my first tour [and lost two ODIs heavily] so we know what to expect, but that doesn't make it any easier.'

Ireland fans can expect to be based for the first phase in India (which will host 29 of the 49 games), with at least one of their games taking place in Bangladesh (eight), but some will be disappointed at the unlikelihood of visiting Sri Lanka (12).

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 (fixtures to be announced on November 9) — Group A: Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya. Group B: India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands.