England Ease Past Ireland In The End
England eased to a comfortable six-wicket win over Ireland on their return to one-day internationals at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. This gives the hosts a 1-0 lead after winning the first of the three-match ODI series.
After winning the toss and electing the field, England captain Eoin Morgan couldn’t have dreamt of a better start against the country of his birth. The Irish slumped to 28-5 at one stage, mainly down to the new-ball exploits of David Willey. Willey generated less swing then he normally would have. However, he was very accurate and gave very little away to the Irish batsmen.
With multiple big-name absentees, Willey took his opportunity. He put a marker down on his England recall by taking his first five-wicket haul in international cricket. The Ireland batsman seeming incapable of playing the left-arm seamer earlier on.
Ireland Fight Back Through Campher And McBrine
Ireland’s plight would have been much tougher had it not been for an unbeaten 59 by 21-year-old debutant Curtis Campher. A gutsy performance with his sides back to the wall from someone so inexperienced. A late order 40 from Andy McBrine ensured Ireland managed a respectable total. Finally, they were bowled out inside 45 overs for 172. This was a good recovery but always seemed inadequate.
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Despite losing a couple of early wickets the chase was never likely to cause too much concern for the reigning ICC World champions. Sam Billings put pay to any chances the Irish had of a miracle with a rapid 67, coming off just 58 balls. Billings was excellent against both spin and pace. Whilst his captain Morgan finished unbeaten on 36 at the other end to see the job home. England romping home by 6 wickets in the first ODI>
England Beat Ireland To Gain 10 Points
Lastly, the six-wicket win gives England 10 points in their first game of the newly formed World Cup Super League and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, ahead of the second ODI on Saturday. Before the final match on Tuesday, all at the Ageas Bowl.
Ireland will know they need to desperately improve if they are going to make for a more competitive series following this humbling defeat. For England, they will be confident of completing a clean sweep and moving onto more difficult challenges further down the line.
England v Ireland: First ODI Highlights
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