England send outclassed Irish back to drawing board
Seven-wicket victory is sealed in only 20 overs
Visitors’ dreams of Test status on line tomorrow
England’s first home fixture against Ireland was a ghastly mismatch. It was billed as a one-day international of 50 overs per side, but England won in 53 overs, bowling out Ireland in 33 and knocking off the runs in only 20.
Of all the times in the last 300 years when this inaugural fixture could have been staged – from the moment British soldiers sowed the sport when garrisoned in Ireland – now could well be the least appropriate. England’s one-day cricket has taken wings like never before, while Ireland’s cricketers have lost the joyful vigour they had when semi-professionals and amateurs a decade ago, and giants were there to be slain, like Pakistan – and England.
Any repeat of this one-sidedness in the second international at Lord’s tomorrow must deal a fatal blow to Ireland’s aspiration of Test status. No matter this was a 50-over game: Ireland’s batsmen were unable to fill the basic requirement demanded in every format except T20; and if their finest representatives cannot build an innings, it will take a long time to create the necessary domestic structure.
It was only a contest while Ireland’s opening pair raced to 40 – albeit eight of Paul Stirling’s runs came from edges off David Willey, and four overthrows for Ed Joyce at the expense of Mark Wood – in the sixth over.
England’s opening bowlers had to contend with a horribly strident wind, and a pitch that was the best England’s captain, Eoin Morgan, had seen in Bristol. But as soon as England worked out what to do, Ireland had no answers.
Wood took his first wicket for England since last September when Stirling persisted in throwing his bat: the distance one of the bails flew towards the boundary, even though into the wind, verified that Wood still has the pace which makes a batsman play shots unplanned. Three operations on his left ankle which he has to pound into the crease, and all the long days of rehab and nights of anxiety: but it will be worth it if England can get a couple of Ashes Tests out of Wood this winter – and the Champions Trophy.
Joyce had not kicked on as a oneday batsman for England after scoring a century against Australia in Sydney a decade ago. Here he did not kick on – self-doubt? – after reaching 23 with an exquisite square cut: he left his next ball, which passed over his stumps, and was leg before to the one after.
Ireland, after setting off in a frenetic fourth gear, slammed into first as their captain, William Porterfield, let England’s bowlers get on top during his 13 from 45 balls, and there they stayed.
England did not learn much from their experiment with Sam Billings as wicketkeeper other than that he can read Adil Rashid’s googly better than Ireland’s batsmen.
Rashid helped himself to five wickets for 27, second only to the five for 20 by Vic Marks as the best figures by an England spinner in one-day internationals. Rashid was able to toss the ball up without fear of anyone running at him until Tim Murtagh arrived at No 10, and as he was not attacked – which he had been all winter in India – there were no nervous drag-downs, just a succession of googlies, missed sweeps and wickets.
Ireland’s domestic competitions must improve in this respect, too – with the introduction of quality wrist-spin – before they can be given Test status. Afghanistan’s 18-year-old wrist-spinner, Rashid Khan, has swarmed over Ireland, taking 23 wickets in his 85 one-day overs against them, and England’s Rashid followed in his wake.
No compact defences, no safe singles that are the building blocks: Ireland’s batting dissolved in the face of England’s ruthless efficiency.
Regardless of their official standing of fifth in the International Cricket Council’s rankings, England can be bracketed with Australia, India and South Africa among the leading countries in one-day cricket. The one thing wrong with England’s cricket at the moment is their kit, which makes it look as though every player is having openheart surgery.
England finished Ireland off before the lunch interval. Peter Chase’s energetic medium-pace had Jason Roy caught at midwicket. Alex Hales was dropped by Murtagh – a low caught and bowled – and by Niall O’brien down the leg side, before he, with 55 off 39 balls, and Joe Root ended the embarrassment.
Morgan could hardly be blamed if his own heart was not entirely in the role of executioner-in-chief.
He grew up in north Dublin, where British garrisons were once stationed and introduced the sport, alongside the O’brien brothers and other Ireland players, but on this occasion he had to dispatch his compatriots back to the drawing board.
No doubt a series of red-ball matches between Ireland and Afghanistan or Zimbabwe would be highly competitive and entertaining, but it could not be labelled Test cricket.