Ireland vs England, 1st T20I: Preview and stats
What's the story
Ireland and England are set to face off in the first T20I of a three-match series at The Village, Dublin, on Wednesday (September 17). This is Ireland's first home series since their last outing against West Indies, where they lost 0-1. Despite the defeat, the team is hopeful for better results in this upcoming series against England. Here is the preview of the series opener.
Game forecast
Pitch report and timing details
The Dublin surface is known for slow wickets, but shorter boundaries promise a run-fest. Bowlers will have to be consistent in their lines and lengths to get some assistance from this batter-friendly wicket. Hence, the captain winning the toss will likely opt to bowl first. Meanwhile, the game will get underway at 6:00pm IST.
Team dynamics
Bethell to lead an understrength England side
England recently drew a home T20I series against South Africa. However, the team will miss several big names against Ireland, and will be led by Jacob Bethell. This comes after regular white-ball captain Harry Brook and other all-format players were given rest. Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, and Jos Buttler are the other notable names in the squad. Notably, the 21-year-old Bethell is all set to become the youngest man ever to captain England in international cricket.
Coach's insight
Ireland coach Malan on facing England
Ireland coach Heinrich Malan has acknowledged the challenge of facing a strong England side, even though the latter has picked a largely understrength squad for the series. He said, "They have a depth of player that is really competitive. They've still got lots of good players, lots of quality." Meanwhile, Ireland will also be without the services of two of their key pacers Mark Adair and Josh Little.
Previous encounter
England are yet to beat Ireland in T20Is
Though England are far ahead of Ireland in terms of on-paper strength, history favors the latter. The two sides have met only twice in T20Is before, both in World Cups. While the 2010 affair got washed out due to rain, the Irish team stunned England in another rain-curtailed but concluded affair in 2022.
Line-ups
Here are the probable XIs
Ireland probable XI: Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Benjamin White, Graham Hume, Craig Young. England probable XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell (c), Jordan Cox, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.
Performers
Here are the key performers
With 3,669 runs at 26.78, Paul Stirling is Ireland's highest run-getter in T20Is this year. All-rounder Curtis Campher has a batting strike rate of 125.37 and a bowling economy of 8.13 in T20Is. Having played 139 T20Is, Buttler has raced to 3,808 runs at 36.26. Phil Salt has hit four tons in just 42 T20I innings. Only Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell have more hundreds in the format (5 each).
Poll
