The 3rd and the final ODI between rivals England and Ireland was a dead-rubber with the former leading the series 2-0. Irish captain Andrew Balbirnie won the toss and put the hosts in to bat on a flat Southampton track. England got off to a weak start as they lost both their openers within the first 20 balls of the match. The third wicket came soon, with James Vince becoming Craig Young’s second victim.
At 44-3, the Three-Lions desperately needed to form a solid partnership to get things along. This is when skipper Eoin Morgan and newcomer Tom Banton steadied the ship and put up a partnership of close to 150. The aggressive right-hander got to his maiden 50 in no time as his partner Morgan at the other end bludgeoned away at the Irish attack, scoring at a rate well above 120. It looked like the England that we’ve come to know over the last few years in white-ball Cricket. The England that isn’t fearful of going after the opposition right from the word go.
Ireland’s short-ball ploy didn’t seem to be working as the experience and brute power of Morgan got him to his 100, which consisted of 15 fours and 4 sixes. Soon after the wicket of the captain, wickets started to tumble and the men in Green were crawling their way back into the game. The batting side lost 3 wickets in the space of 7 overs, and were 216-6. Then came in David Willey, who is known to be a handy left hander in the lower middle order. He smoked the Ireland bowlers around and got to a quickfire 51 off 42 balls. Tom Curran at the other end also contributed as England ended up with 328 all-out, a respectable total.
In reply, Ireland started well. Memories from the 2011 game against the same opposition kept coming back as they chased a very similar total. The Irish openers made full use of the mandatory powerplay as they got to 50 in 8 overs without losing a wicket. Opener Paul Stirling scored the bulk of those runs. After the first wicket fell, Ireland looked to keep the scoreboard ticking as Balbirnie and Stirling powered their way through.
With Eoin Morgan sitting out because of a niggle, Moeen Ali had to lead the troops out on the field. And he couldn’t figure out which bowler to use, as all of them failed to get a breakthrough. 5 of the 6 bowlers used by England went at an Economy of over run-a-ball (six runs/over). Even the likes of Willey and Ali himself were leaking runs. Both Stirling and Balbirnie went from 50s, to eventual 100s as the English bowlers looked clueless.
They both got dismissed, but not before putting on a partnership of 210 on the board. With 64 still needed of 9 odd overs, in came Kevin O’ Brien, who still holds the record for the fastest World Cup 100 in that same historic innings against England in 2011 at Bangalore. This time, he didn’t have to go all guns blazing and only had to make sure his more settled partner at the other end got them through.
It came down to 17 off the last 2 overs, and bowlers Curran and Mahmood succumbed to the pressure as Ireland got through. This was their highest successful run-chase, after the 328 that they chased all those years ago. The celebrations within the dressing room were quite reminiscent of that day, even without a single person in the crowd. There was jubilation all around the Ireland camp, as this win would’ve done their confidence a world of good. There is much to like about this Ireland side. Despite not being able to cap the series, they’ve still shown their prowess by holding their nerve and beating the World Champions.
-Vibhor Dubey
The Average Cricketer 