London’s Notting Hill – In the second of a three-match One Day International (ODI) series against England at Trent Bridge, the Men in Green were defeated by 48 runs despite a record-breaking 9th and 10th wicket stand for Ireland and career-best scores by Barry McCarthy, Craig Young, and Josh Little.
Ireland won praise for George Dockrell’s all-around performance, which included scoring 43 runs and collecting 3-43, but it wasn’t enough to stop a rampaging England from earning a victory to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series after game 1 was lost due to weather.
Craig Young replaced Gareth Delany in Ireland’s lineup from the team that defeated Nepal in the last One Day International, and Sam Hain, Jamie Smith, Tom Hartley, and George Scrimshaw made their international debuts for England.
Trent Bridge, in sharp contrast to Headingley on Wednesday, was showered in sunshine as Ireland captain Paul Stirling won the toss and decided to bowl first in an effort to get the surface moving right away. But England got off to a fast start, as openers Phil Salt and Will Jacks scored 55 runs off the first six overs.
Stirling resorted to his change-bowler Young to arrest the flow of runs, and that choice paid off as the North Down paceman removed Salt (28) by clipping the ball directly to Stirling at extra cover and Zak Crawley (0) by trapping him lbw in three balls.
When Ireland made inroads, England’s Will Jacks (94) and Ben Duckett (48) started a counterattack with a 101-run stand. Sam Hain, making his debut, then smashed 89 off 82 balls as England finished strongly with a score of 334-8 from their 50 overs.
The truth is that, with the exception of the first six overs, the Irish bowlers performed quite well despite the figures suggesting otherwise. However, they were up against a home team that came out swinging and was occasionally willing to ride their luck.
Ireland’s top order, which was given a target of 335, made a strong start, scoring 46 runs off the first 26 balls, but quickly found themselves two wickets down after losing Andrew Balbirnie (14) and Stirling (25) in two balls. Lorcan Tucker (11) and Curtis Campher (9) came and departed, but
Following a magnificent diving catch by Jacks, Harry Tector scored a confident 39 (five fours) before falling to Rehan Ahmed, and Ireland were in trouble at 121-5 in the 20th over.
At 157-7, Ireland was on the verge of an early defeat when more wickets fell, and Mark Adair was caught in front for 12 points. Or at least that’s what viewers of the game may have inferred. While McCarthy (with an ODI career-best 41), Young (with a career-best 40*), and Little (with a career-best 29) displayed spirited fight and resiliency to carry the game into the final four overs, Dockrell (43) started to play more expensively.
Ireland ultimately lost the game because they gave up too many runs early in the game while attempting to catch up. The ODI record ninth-wicket and tenth-wicket partnerships of 43 and 55, respectively, helped to reduce the defeat.
The final one-day international will take place on Tuesday, September 26 at 12.30 p.m. at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium.
MATCH SUMMARY
England v Ireland, 2nd One-Day International, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 23 September 2023
England 334-8 (50 overs; W Jacks 94, S Hain 89; G Dockrell 3-43)
Ireland 286 (46.4 overs; G Dockrell 43, B McCarthy 41; R Ahmed 4-54)
England won by 48 runs
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