It cannot be called an upset anymore. Ireland have repeated history by catching Jos Buttler's England off-guard with some help from the Rain Gods at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). England were left stunned in the end as they found themselves five runs behind via Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) method.
Another reason for England’s loss is that the second match of the day where Afghanistan take on New Zealand also needs to be played at the same ground. Otherwise there would have been some relaxation in the cut-off time. The loss leaves England in troubled waters in the group of death.
Disappointing start
Chasing 158, England got a big jolt early as Buttler got out for a two-ball duck to Joshua Little. Alex Hales also became Little's victim. England batters scored just one boundary in the powerplay overs. Before the fielding restrictions came to an end, England lost the crucial wicket of Ben Stokes. Fionn Hand got the wicket of Stokes on his World Cup debut delivery. After six overs, England found themselves struggling at 37/3.
Quiet middle overs
Harry Brook and Dawid Malan struggled to find boundaries as Irish bowlers did not let them open their arms. After 10 overs, they had 63/3 on the board. George Dockrell lured both Brook and Malan into big shots but dropped catches gave them a second life. Later in the over, Brook went for another big shot but got caught at deep mid-wicket by Gareth Delany. In the next few overs, Malan followed his partner back to the dressing room. Brian McCarthy got his wicket in the 14th over. Malan scored 35 runs from 37 deliveries including just two boundaries.
Anti-climax
With five wickets down, England still had hope as big-hitters Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone were in the middle. Ali infused some life into the run chase with few boundaries. In the 15th over, he hit Delany for a six and a four but rain got heavier. England needed quick runs but the rain was too heavy to continue. Ali’s late charge turned out to be too late as game could not resume and England lost the match by five runs as per DLS method.
England could manage to post 105/5 from 14.3 overs. The ploy to save Livingstone and Ali for the latter part of the innings turned out to be an unsuccessful one as England lost their first game of the tournament.
Solid start
Earlier, Buttler won the toss and opted to field first. There was a delayed start to the game due to rain but no overs were lost. Opener Paul Stirling decided to take on England fast bowlers in the powerplay overs but rain interrupted once again. After a short interruption, game resumed. Stirling (14) hit Mark Wood for a six in the third over but got out off a 150kmph thunderbolt by the pacer. Lorcan Tucker did not take much time to get going either. Ireland top order used the powerplay overs well and scored 59 runs.
Threatening partnership
Boundaries became scarce after the powerplay overs. Skipper Andrew Balbirnie took on Woakes in the 10th over and hit him for two fours and one six. Ireland had 92/1 on the board after 10 overs. The partnership was looking threatening but it came to an abrupt end. Balbirnie played it towards bowler Rashid who got a fingertip to it. The ball hit the stumps on the bowler's end and Tucker found himself short of the crease. He scored 34 runs from 27 deliveries including three fours and one six. He shared a 82-run partnership for the second wicket.
The collapse
With new batter Harry Tector in the middle, Buttler introduced Wood into the attack. The pacer provided with the wicket of Tector who got out for a two-ball duck. In the 14th over, Balbirnie got to his half-century from 40 deliveries. He took on Sam Curran in the next over hitting him for a huge six.
The collapse started in the 16th over. Livingstone got the wicket of Balbirnie and Dockrell off consecutive deliveries. Balbirnie scored 62 runs from 47 deliveries including five fours and two sixes. In the next over, Wood ended Campher's cameo (18) to push Ireland on the back foot in slog overs. The collapse continued as Livingstone got mark Adair's wicket in the 18th over. Curran was brought back into the attack to bowl the penultimate over and took the wickets of McCarthy and Hand. Stokes bowled the last over and ended Ireland's innings with Little's wicket. Ireland managed to post 157 runs on the board as they lost eight wickets for 54 runs.
