1st ODI England vs Ireland
It’s been a strange old summer – and I’ve always said it ain’t summer without English cricket!
But never mind the rain-hit test against the West Indies and Stuart Broad’s heroics, we are due some good weather on the south coast and three exciting ODI in under a week await at the Ageas Bowl.
That Southampton is able to host these matches at all is a reason to celebrate as, for so long, financial constraints and the coronavirus pandemic made it look unlikely.
Yet here we are and Ireland will get to play some competitive cricket this summer after all.
Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom admitted it’s a major boost given the potential loss of the entire season was a real one.
Now they are taking on the world champions in contests which also represent Ireland’s first fixtures as part of the new World Cup Super – the qualification process for the 2023 ICC World Cup.
Talking Points
The 12 full member countries, plus the Netherlands who won the ICC World Cricket Super League 2015-17, will play four home and away three-match ODI series in the one-day format as part of a newly-created Super League.
So it’s not just pride on the line either; there is a possible World Cup qualification at stake.
The series was originally scheduled for September but Ireland agreed to the move the matches forward at the request of the ECB.
The day-night games at the bio-secure Ageas Bowl should certainly help give cricket fans around the world even more reasons to watch as the drama of league cricket unfolds.
Each team will be awarded 10 points for a win, five for a tie, no result or abandonment and none for a loss. The five sides failing to qualify directly will play along with five Associate sides in the World Cup Qualifier 2023, with two teams from the Qualifier making it to the 10-team World Cup.
Realistically, Ireland should not stand a chance. Even an England Lions XII defeated them by seven wickets in Sunday’s warm-up ODI.
The visitors, captained by Andrew Balbirnie, have named 21 players for the series, out of which 14 will be part of the main squad while seven will be reserves.
In contrast, England’s ODI teams have been engaged in intra-squad warm up fixtures in a bid to prepare for the series. World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan, an Irishman, will continue to lead the England ODI side, while all-rounder Moeen Ali has been named his deputy.
The Ireland series will also be closely followed by Pakistan’s tour of England that comprises of three Tests and as many T20Is.
Left-arm seamers David Willey and Reece Topley have been named in England’s 14-man squad but they will be without the likes of Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Joe Root, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler and Mark Wood as they prepare for the three-Test series against Pakistan.
So, Southampton here we come, three ODIs behind closed doors in a bio-secure bubble and what should be a home rout.
In truth, though, the significance of the occasion far outweighs the outcome.
History
They may have only met on 10 occasions in this format since Ireland became a more established cricketing nation and England have tasted victory on eight of those occasions.
Meanwhile, in May 2015, the England cricket team visited Ireland for a single ODI only for the match to be abandoned with no result after 18 overs of the Ireland innings.
However, only result stands out in their brief history of clashes and that was back in 2011 when Ireland left England red-faced in the World Cup.
At Bengaluru, Andrew Strauss’s England batted perfectly well, making 327, only to let Kevin O’Brien turn a lost cause into the highest successful run chase in World Cup history – a quite astonishing victory and one of the one day international highlights of all time.
Even last summer, Ireland gave England a scare when Ben Foakes and Tom Curran had to mount a salvage operation in a one day international at Malahide.
Betting Tip
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England vs Ireland | England Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 1.10 |
| July 30, 21:00 (GMT+8) |
The SBOBET ODI betting odds naturally point to England.
And so they should England are ranked number one in the world with Ireland placed in 11th in the ODI format.
Only two years ago did Ireland host its first ever test after being granted test status in 2017 so the Emerald Isle is very much a developing cricketing nation.
You won’t be surprised to hear, therefore, that England Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 1.10 contrasts hugely with Ireland 0.00 @ 6.00.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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