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England v Ireland ODI Preview

A new era for ODI cricket

On Thursday a new era for ODI cricket will begin as England face Ireland in a three-match one day series at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. This will mark the start of the newly formed Cricket World Cup Super League. The England v Ireland ODI series will be the hosts first ODI series at home post the successful 2019 Cricket World Cup-winning campaign.

Delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic the Super League marks the start of the qualifying campaign for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup to be played in India. The 12 full members of the ICC plus the Netherlands will play in three match ODI series. This includes four at home and four away. The top seven sides in the table at the end (excluding India who qualifies as hosts) will gain automatic qualification to the World Cup.

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Chance For England’s Fringe Players

Sam Billings is part of England's ODI squad for the England v Ireland series — SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JULY 24: Sam Billings poses for a portrait during the England One Day International Squad Photo call at Ageas Bowl on July 24, 2020 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer are not considered for selection due to their involvement in the test series against West Indies. Therefore the ODI’s against Ireland presents a great opportunity for some of England’s fringe players to make a push for a starting place in England’s best XI.

Sam Billings and David Willey are recalled to the side and will be looking to make a big impact after missing out on selection in the World Cup squad last summer. Liam Dawson and Tom Curran who were apart of the victorious World Cup squad but didn’t feature will get a chance here. Recce Topley is also back in the England squad for the first time in four years. He will be looking to add to his current ODI caps. A back injury kept him out of England beckoning recently.

Young talents Tom Banton and Saqib Mahmood also retain their place in the squad having made their ODI debuts in South Africa at the start of the year. The uncapped trio of Richard Gleeson, Liam Livingstone and Lewis Gregory though not selected in the final squad. They will remain in Southampton as reserve players.

Test Places Up For Grabs?

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JULY 03: Jonny Bairstow of England hits out during Day Three of the England Warm Up Match at the Ageas Bowl on July 03, 2020 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images for ECB)

With no first-class cricket yet been played this summer due to the Pandemic, the series against Ireland will provide the first chance for some test hopefuls to play this summer.

Jonny Bairstow is one player who will be looking to remind people what he can do with the bat as he pushes for a test recall. Jos Buttler’s place in the test side has been questioned after a run of low scores. Although, he did manage to make a half century in the third test against West Indies.

Joe Denly is another test hopeful who will be looking to use the ODI series against Ireland as a way to force his way back into the test side. Denly was dropped after the first test of the series against West Indies.

Moeen Ali who had taken a break from test cricket has now made himself available for selection again. But he was overlooked for the West Indies series with the selectors instead opting to go with Dom Bess. Ali who has been made vice captain for the Ireland series could be reconsidered for selection ahead of the three match test series against Pakistan with a strong showing against Ireland.

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Ireland Looking For An Upset in England v Ireland ODI Series

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JULY 26: Ireland bowler Simi Singh in action during the warm up game between England Lions and Ireland at Ageas Bowl on July 26, 2020 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Ireland will go into the series as big underdogs against World Champions England. Having missed out on the 2019 Cricket World Cup, Ireland will be keen to show that they can compete against the best sides in the world.

The Irish have just one victory against England in the 10 ODI’s played between the two nations. It was the memorable victory over England in the 2011 World Cup in Bangalore.

With Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien in their team, Ireland have some destructive players. These players are capable of causing England headaches. In their last meeting in 2019, they had England 101-6 chasing 199.

For Ireland to get anything from the series they will need to improve on their last ODI outing when they lost 3-0 to the West Indies in January.

England v Ireland ODI Series Schedule

Thursday 30th July – 1st ODI – Southampton 2pm.

Saturday 1st August 2nd ODI – Southampton 2pm.

Tuesday 4th August 3rd ODI – Southampton 2pm.

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