Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Fri May 5 (50 ovs)
1st ODI - England v Ireland
County Ground, Bristol

Sun May 7 (50 ovs)
2nd ODI - England v Ireland
Lord's, London

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/ ... e=fixtures

will this be the first time Ireland will have played at Lords ?

Ireland have never played an ODI in England (or Wales).

A little surprising.

They've played two T20s in London., One at Lord's and one at the Oval. They lost to SL at Lord's. Lost to Pakistan at the Oval.

They played three ODIs at Trent Bridge, beating BD and losing to India and NZ.

So they've never played England in a T20 in England either.

Not much of a nurturing role going on.

Will be interesting to see the team England pick with Buttler, Stokes and Woakes out. With the Champions Trophy a matter of weeks away, now isn't the time for experimentation.

England may be tempted to look at Livingstone, but then that means room for only one of Bairstow and Billings (the latter is having to return from the IPL), unless they rest Root. I'd expect Wood to play, coming in for Woakes (albeit at 11, after Ali, Willey, Rashid, Plunkett).

The batting for the CT is carved on stone tablets. Billings and Bairstow will come into the top six for Buttler and Stokes. Maybe someone will have to come into the squad I suppose. Should be Duckett really.

Boyd Rankin ruled out through injury

andy wrote:Boyd Rankin ruled out through injury

Injury or did not want to play against his old team?

side strain i believe, hasn't been playing for Warks with this injury

only 2 weeks til the first of these games now

the start of an exceptionally busy, and long, home summer

In the acrimonious back and forth over the ICC deal over the past week, one criticism of the ECB (surely the ECB v the BCCI is a face off without a hero) has been how little income they have used in developing cricket in its region. And that is a point that strikes home cleanly. The old country has hardly ever employed a nurturing, paternalistic relationship with the continent. The county contracts for European players have been symbiotic and the teams didn't tolerate the admission of some neighbouring countries into domestic competitions for long. And by poaching the best of their neighbouring players, England are actually guilty of impeding the progress of the associates in their own self interest.

And compare that with India's sponsoring of Afghanistan.

It is astonishing that England have never played an ODI or T20 against Ireland at home. They have played one T20 against Ireland ever, a rain off in Guyana in 2010 which Ireland were well set to win. In fifty over cricket, England beat Ireland in the 2007 World Cup again at Providence. Given all but one of the other games have been played in Ireland, it seems to be fated that these two sides meet each other in famously wet venues. The exception being in the 2011 World Cup in the famous match in Bangalore when Kevin O'Brien's 113 off 63 balls won the game for Ireland.

Other than two ICC fixtures, England have played five ODIs in Belfast and Dublin, which have mostly been one sided in the favour of weakened England sides. I was under the impression these were wet season games, but only the last of these was played in May (early May) a rain off in Malahide, 2015 with England captained by James Taylor and awarding five new caps.

And even for the first invitation to Ireland on these shores, it is difficult to isolate any obvious altruism on the part of English cricket, as the games serve as preparation for a major ICC trophy, a competition for which Ireland was not invited, though played on their doorstep. And if England have a full strength squad it is because the games are final dress rehearsals for the Champions Trophy.

Ireland squad
William Porterfield
Andy Balbirnie
Peter Chase
George Dockrell
Ed Joyce
Andy McBrine
Barry McCarthy
Tim Murtagh
Kevin O'Brien
Niall O'Brien
Paul Stirling
Stuart Thompson
Gary Wilson
Craig Young


England v Ireland records in ODIs.

Most runs: Kevin O'Brien, 213.
Most wickets: John Mooney, 10.
Highest score Eoin Morgan 124* (playing for England).
Best Bowling: Trent Johnston 4-26.

A couple of years ago, would have given the Irish a chance, but they have been dismal of late, and our white ball cricket is on the up

Could have added ECB Veto that stopped BCCI from having pre ipl training camps and games in Ireland and Scotland or that ECB the broadcasting holders of ireland cricket use to stop asian broadcasters from televising ireland home game which did actually stop ireland from finding games during their peak around 2007-2012.
it was only when Ireland didn't give the right away that the likes of pakistan or Sri lanka or other teams started coming.

should be noted indian state broadcaster paid to broadcast Afghanistan home games against ireland.
Sky never really bothered with ireland cricket excluding against england.

Ireland probably one of the most overrated sides at the moment, it is crazy that they are going to get Test status soon when they have no history to cricket, no players coming through and rushed up domestic circuit that isn't really going to produce good cricketers.

Dry and cloudy for today's ODI. Billings will be keeper and Bairstow is set to play. Finn and Duckett unlikely to feature in either game. Likely XI:

Roy/Hales/Root/Morgan/Bairstow/Billings/Moeen or Rashid/Willey/Plunkett/Wood/Ball.

i think you have been a little unfair in that post above AC when you consider that almost all of that Ireland team have came through the county system, dont get classed as overseas players and therefore not subject to any quota restrictions

that access to the county system has been far more valuable to the development of Irish cricket in allowing them to play at a higher level than they ever could in a domestic system within Ireland

could the ECB have done more, of course it could but it isn't the ECB's job the develop Irish cricket, they have their own board and its the ICC's job to develop the game globally