Key takeaways from England's one-off Test win ahead of Ashes
England humbled Ireland by 10 wickets in the one-off Test inside three days. With the home Ashes series being just around the corner, this victory has come as a major boost for the Three Lions. Notably, England were without the services of several key bowlers in the Ireland game. However, the young guns stood up. Here are the key takeaways from the win.
How did the game pan out?
Ireland were bundled out for a paltry 172 in the first innings with Stuart Broad claiming a fifer. In response, England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett responded in style, adding 109 runs. After Crawley's dismissal, Duckett and Ollie Pope added a double-century-plus stand before England declared (524/4). Ireland showed character in their second innings and managed 362/9 before England won (12/0).
Josh Tongue's memorable debut
The contest marked Josh Tongue's Test debut and the pacer returned with a fifer (5/66) in the second innings after going wicket-less in the first. The right-arm pacer was able to generate movement from the surface as Ireland's top-order batters surrendered against him. With Ashes being a five-match affair, England can consider giving him a go at some point.
Veteran Broad good as ever
While Tongue was Ireland's nemesis in the second innings, Stuart Broad took a fifer (5/51) in the first. Since 2022, Broad has returned with 56 wickets in 12 Tests at 25.07. The 36-year-old is certainly aging like fine wine and would be raring to extend his stellar run versus the Aussies. Notably, he is 18 short of completing 600 wickets in Test cricket.
The 'Bazball' approach continues to benefit England batters
England continued to back the 'Bazball' approach and the same turned out to be fruitful. All top-four batters, Crawley (56 off 45), Duckett (182 off 178), Pope (205 off 208), and Joe Root (56 off 59), scored over 50 with a 90-plus strike rate. Ireland bowlers found themselves hiding as none of their plans work. Australia must find a way to tackle England batters.
Duckett, Pope continue to be among the runs
While Duckett recorded his highest Test score, Pope brought up his maiden double-ton in Tests. The two dashers have emerged as prolific run-getters for England lately. Duckett and Pope's averages in their respective last six Tests read 69 and 55.8, respectively. As Australia's pace attack is arguably the best going around, the two top-order batters are just in the right form.
11th win in Stokes-McCullum era
England have now won 11 of their 13 Tests ever since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum took over as the captain and the head coach of the Test team. This includes series wins over Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa. While many believed the aggressive-batting approach would not profit the Brits for long, Stokes's men have managed to show stellar consistency.
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