Ireland headed to England aiming to cause another upset against their closest geographical rivals in their two match ODI series but that plan fell flat on its face in the first of the games in Bristol on Friday when they were soundly beaten.
They will have to pick themselves up quickly to be more competitive on one of the biggest occasions in Irish cricket on Sunday when they take on England at Lord’s. England will be aiming to build plenty of confidence heading into the Champions Trophy and that can continue with a win here.
England
It couldn’t have gone much better for England in the opening match of their summer in Bristol. If they wanted to ease themselves into the summer then they were able to do just that as Ireland were overawed with the bat and then had no answer to England’s power when it came to England batting.
Going forward I think England would appreciate much more of a challenge although at least if Ireland can’t provide that then England do have South Africa over here for an ODI series before the Champions Trophy.
Ireland
What could go wrong did go wrong for the Irish in the first match. They looked all at sea with the bat, especially against spin – a concern that is getting stronger rather than going away – and then with the ball they were never going to penetrate England enough without Boyd Rankin although we knew that before the first match.
If Ireland are going to be more competitive in this match then it might be worth their while chasing regardless of how the wicket is going to play. They may well be chasing plenty but at least they would have their hand forced rather than batting first and getting stuck and offering no opposition at all again.
Team News
England may take the opportunity to switch some of their players around here. Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali and Steven Finn will be looking to get a chance to shine.
Ireland went with the extra batsman in Bristol and that never worked at all but in terms of genuine options for change in this match their hands may be somewhat tied.
Lord’s
This famous old ground will be staging a 59th ODI. Ireland will be pleased to hear this isn’t England’s favourite venue as they have 22 wins but 25 losses with a couple of ties and a no result from 50 matches. Ireland play here for the first time in this format of the game.
The wicket here is always flat and full of runs and the outfield is like a bowling green so the runs should flow if the Irish batsmen are up to delivering them.
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Betting
I’m expecting England to dominate this game. The surroundings should inspire Ireland to produce a better performance but I still don’t think they will trouble England. They simply don’t have the required firepower with the ball and if England stay focused they should win easily.
In terms of bets I like a couple. This isn’t a ground where sixes come regularly so 10.5 sixes looks a high line to me. I don’t necessarily think sixes will come in batches for England and it would be a surprise if Ireland came to the party in that context. England’s two best six hitters are still in India so under 10.5 looks safe there.
The other bet I like is for England to have more than 56.5 runs after 10 overs when they bat. Alex Hales and Jason Roy love to get on with it and to be fair Hales showed on Friday that he can toy with this attack and Jason Roy isn’t going to fail forever. If he gets going England will be nearer 90 after 10 overs than 50. I’m on the overs there.
Tips
Back Under 10.5 sixes for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with William Hill
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Back England 1st 10 Overs – Over 56.5 runs for a 4/10 stake at 1.85 with Ladbrokes
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