Ireland tour of England 2023 

ENG vs IRE, 3rd ODI

Preview 

The defending champions preparations are now on at full blast. After pummeling New Zealand 3-1 at home recently, they are set to host Ireland for a three match ODI series starting Wednesday. Ireland have only beaten England twice in 50 overs cricket and would be looking to add one or two to their count as the hosts are without the services of their regular players.

England have opted to rest quite a few players that were a part of the just concluded ODI series against New Zealand.  Zak Crawley will lead the second string English side, which also includes three uncapped players. Crawley himself is quite new to this format, having played only three games in the format. Harry Brook, who replaced Jason Roy in England’s World Series squad on Sunday, will be the key batter to keep an eye on in the series. He scored 37 runs from 68 balls across the three innings in the New Zealand series. However, the promising batter has shown a lot of flair and consistency across formats and will be raring to prove his case for the World Series. Phil Salt is another bright prospect in their ranks. The wicket keeper batter has aggregated 460 runs in 14 ODIs at an average of 38.33 and a strike rate of 125. Also, watch out for uncapped batter Sam Hain. With a staggering List A average of almost 58 from 62 games, the middle order batter will play a key role in the series. In the bowling department, the three lions possess a lot of new faces. Brydon Carson and George Scrimshaw are joined by Luke Wood, Matthew Potts and Craig Overton as pace bowling options. Rehan Ahmed will be the main spin bowler in the squad. 

Ireland has put together a well rounded squad for the England series. The men in green will be led by Paul Stirling, who is by far the most experienced batter in the side. He is in sumptuous form off late, scoring 346 runs from his last 10 matches. Andrew Balbirnie will be Sterling’s opening partner in the series. The 32 year old has smashed 363 runs in the 13 ODIs this year. Curtis Campher will slot in at Number 3 in this series. He has been a centrepiece of Ireland’s middle order for quite some time now. We expect him to flourish in the new role as well. Harry Tector is another batter you need to keep a keen eye on. He is arguably Ireland’s most consistent batter over the years. In the bowling prowess- Mark Adair and Josh Little will lead the seam bowling attack. The two seamers should get sufficient assistance from the track, particularly during the start of the innings. Adair has bagged 20 wickets from his last 10 games. We back him to do well in the series. 

Match Details

Match: ENG vs IRE, 1st ODI, Ireland tour of England ODI Series, 2023

Date: Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Time: 5:00 PM

Venue: Headingley, Leeds

Pitch and Weather Report

Headingley has traditionally been known for its batting friendly conditions. Seam bowlers are expected to get some assistance during the initial passage of play. Moreover, rain is projected during the day and that will lead to cloudy conditions. This will allow seam bowlers to enjoy movement off the air. Although, once a ball gets softer, batters can settle in and begin playing their shots.  

Squads

ENG: Zak Crawley (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Philip Salt, Rehan Ahmed, Will Jacks, Luke Wood, Brydon Carse, Tom Hartley, George Scrimshaw, Matthew Potts, Sam Hain

IRE: Paul Stirling (c), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Andrew Balbirnie, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Craig Young, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little, Neil Rock, Graham Hume, Andy McBrine, Theo van Woerkom

Probable Playing XIs

ENG: Zak Crawley (c), Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Harry Brook, Sam Hain, Jamie Smith, Rehan Ahmed, Luke Wood, George Scrimshaw, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts

IRE: Paul Stirling (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy

Match Prediction

We predict England to secure a comfortable victory in the opening encounter and go one up in the three match series. Despite being without their star players, the hosts have enough firepower in their lineup to get the better of their opposition. 

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