In the first Twenty20 International in Malahide, England defeated Ireland by four wickets thanks to another brilliant innings from Phil Salt, who carried on where he left off against South Africa. England, chasing 197, ended the match with 14 balls remaining and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series with to Salt’s 89 off 46. England also defeated a European team in the format for the first time in six Twenty20 Internationals.
From the beginning of the chase, England’s intentions were evident. Ireland’s hopes of winning the new ball were dashed as Salt and Jos Buttler hammered 74 in just 4.3 overs. Salt continued, hitting the boundary with ten fours and four sixes, while Buttler was dismissed for a 10-ball 28. The needed pace gradually reduced as a result of his clean ball-striking, leaving Ireland reeling.
To keep the chase under control, Jacob Bethell, making his captaincy debut, put in 24 off 16 and Sam Curran added a quick 27 off 15. In the eighteenth over, Jamie Overton put the finishing touches on England with a six and a four.
Although Ireland was able to recover a few wickets in the middle, including Salt, who was just short of a hundred, the game was already over.
Bethell, age 21, was previously given the captaincy by England, making him the nation’s youngest men’s T20I captain. After winning the toss, his first task was to field. Harry Tector’s undefeated 61 off 36 balls and Lorcan Tucker’s scorching 55 off 36 deliveries were the cornerstones of Ireland’s challenging 196/3. Ireland had fallen to 67/2 when the two contributed 123 runs for the fourth wicket.
Paul Stirling and Ross Adair put up 57 for the first wicket, giving Ireland a strong start to their innings. But both collapsed quickly after one another. After that, Tucker and Tector took over, using a variety of shots to maintain a fast tempo. On a strong batting surface, the two remained together until the last ball of the innings, helping Ireland reach a respectable score before Salt’s genius made the chase easy.
Brief scores: England 197/6 in 17.4 overs (Philip Salt 89, Jos Buttler 28; Graham Hume 2-36) defeated Ireland 196/3 in 20 overs (Harry Tector 61*, Lorcan Tucker 55; Adil Rashid 1-36) by 4 wickets.
India
