- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 218,165
England take on Ireland in Group 1 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 with net run rate already a talking point after the first round of matches.
England have only played Ireland once in T20Is, way back in 2010, with rain ending what could have been quite an entertaining match given that England finished on 120/8 in their 20 overs.
A dozen years and four T20 World Cups later, England's T20 batting has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis, so much so that they boast of one of the best batting line-ups in the tournament this time around.
England's focus will not just be on the win, but also on the net run rate in a group where the dreaded decimal point metric could easily play spoilsport.
Australia gave theirs a boost with Marcus Stoinis punctuating Aaron Finch's sluggish knock with sparkle from the other end. New Zealand are already quite a bit on top with their massive win margin against Australia.
Sri Lanka too have a win under their belt and are above Australia and below England at this point. Winning would be a priority as Buttler rightly pointed out in the pre-match press conference, and England would certainly not see Ireland as pushovers after their First Round performance.
"Anytime you take things for granted or you don't respect the opposition is when you can get hurt. I think in T20 cricket especially, there's the one format where it's as level a playing field as any," Buttler said ahead of the game.
Ireland were on a high after the thumping win over West Indies to qualify for the Super 12 but have been brought back to the ground after a nine-wicket loss to Sri Lanka.
Their promising batting line-up offers plenty of hope, but to beat England, Ireland will need the bowling to step up big time. At the MCG, with the big boundary dimensions, restricting England's big hitters will be the priority.
The spinners, Simi Singh and Gareth Delany, have been on and off with the ball, but will have to step up to keep England quiet through the middle overs, where they tend to attack a lot more than other teams.
With the bat, the Stirling-Balbirnie pair at the top packs quite a punch, but it's probably the likes of Campher, Delany and Tector that could give Ireland's fight a real push.
Predicted Playing XI
England
Jos Buttler (c), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Ireland
Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little
Key Players
Jos Buttler: Since finding a tempo to his T20 batting, Buttler has gone from a dangerous hitter to a calculated batter who adapts to game situations and maximises boundary opportunities, keeping the strike rate quite a bit above par. An aggressive Alex Hales aids Buttler's new mantra at the other end, and potentially helps him get those big knocks for England.
Mark Adair: To rattle England, Ireland need Powerplay wickets and while all eyes are on Josh Little, Adair's ability to swing the new ball and create wicket-taking opportunities up front makes him a genuine threat.
==
All posters please take note of the following guidelines for match threads on PakPassion:
1. No personal insults at other posters, players, officials, coaching staffs etc.
2. No making fun of player's, official's, coaching staff's names.
3. Do not add any references to media, their social media or post any pictures or screenshots from other sports websites.
4. Stick to commenting on this match. There is no need to bring other countries into the match discussion as there are plenty of other threads where those discussions can be added.
England have only played Ireland once in T20Is, way back in 2010, with rain ending what could have been quite an entertaining match given that England finished on 120/8 in their 20 overs.
A dozen years and four T20 World Cups later, England's T20 batting has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis, so much so that they boast of one of the best batting line-ups in the tournament this time around.
England's focus will not just be on the win, but also on the net run rate in a group where the dreaded decimal point metric could easily play spoilsport.
Australia gave theirs a boost with Marcus Stoinis punctuating Aaron Finch's sluggish knock with sparkle from the other end. New Zealand are already quite a bit on top with their massive win margin against Australia.
Sri Lanka too have a win under their belt and are above Australia and below England at this point. Winning would be a priority as Buttler rightly pointed out in the pre-match press conference, and England would certainly not see Ireland as pushovers after their First Round performance.
"Anytime you take things for granted or you don't respect the opposition is when you can get hurt. I think in T20 cricket especially, there's the one format where it's as level a playing field as any," Buttler said ahead of the game.
Ireland were on a high after the thumping win over West Indies to qualify for the Super 12 but have been brought back to the ground after a nine-wicket loss to Sri Lanka.
Their promising batting line-up offers plenty of hope, but to beat England, Ireland will need the bowling to step up big time. At the MCG, with the big boundary dimensions, restricting England's big hitters will be the priority.
The spinners, Simi Singh and Gareth Delany, have been on and off with the ball, but will have to step up to keep England quiet through the middle overs, where they tend to attack a lot more than other teams.
With the bat, the Stirling-Balbirnie pair at the top packs quite a punch, but it's probably the likes of Campher, Delany and Tector that could give Ireland's fight a real push.
Predicted Playing XI
England
Jos Buttler (c), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Ireland
Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little
Key Players
Jos Buttler: Since finding a tempo to his T20 batting, Buttler has gone from a dangerous hitter to a calculated batter who adapts to game situations and maximises boundary opportunities, keeping the strike rate quite a bit above par. An aggressive Alex Hales aids Buttler's new mantra at the other end, and potentially helps him get those big knocks for England.
Mark Adair: To rattle England, Ireland need Powerplay wickets and while all eyes are on Josh Little, Adair's ability to swing the new ball and create wicket-taking opportunities up front makes him a genuine threat.
==
All posters please take note of the following guidelines for match threads on PakPassion:
1. No personal insults at other posters, players, officials, coaching staffs etc.
2. No making fun of player's, official's, coaching staff's names.
3. Do not add any references to media, their social media or post any pictures or screenshots from other sports websites.
4. Stick to commenting on this match. There is no need to bring other countries into the match discussion as there are plenty of other threads where those discussions can be added.
Last edited:
Slight wetness has slowed down the outfield
now.
to win.
