By setting a respectable total while playing at Trent Bridge, England made the most of their opportunity. This was made possible in part by the career-high innings of 94 by Will Jacks and 89 by debutant Sam Hain. The two worked very hard, and with help from Brydon Cares and Ben Duckett, the hosts managed to amass a solid total of 334. Ireland was able to alter the match’s direction after having a challenging start with the new ball.
Ireland captain Paul Stirling chose to bowl on a sunny morning despite his team’s poor start, largely due to the anticipated dew later in the evening. Mark Adair and Josh Little of Ireland tried some foolish distances with the new ball because he thought his pacers would benefit early on from the new surface. However, the absence of a swing allowed England’s openers to quickly begin playing correctly. The innings got off to a quick start because of Phil Salt and Jacks’ barrage of boundaries.
Ireland got the much-needed break from the assault when Craig Young entered. It was impossible for him to avoid hitting the hard length, and it became immediately apparent that scoring in these situations wasn’t always easy. In his first over, Young startled England by LBWing both skipper Zak Crawley and Salt, shattering the opening stand. However, Jacks batted quickly and received excellent support from Duckett as they began to put the innings back together. Ireland did a fantastic job of keeping the scoring rate from going out of control despite the occasional monster over.
They both collided as they were speeding up, and Jacks was unfortunate to lose several tonnes of weight that he had earned. Because he holed out too much in front, rookie Jamie Smith also didn’t stay very long. Hain and Case reopened the innings after Ireland’s victories gave them some breathing room. The slower deliveries did get a little shaky, but the structure of the song kept the faster ones from flowing as naturally. Once more, Ireland pulled off a remarkable comeback in the last seconds to repel the visitors and prevent England’s score from going over 350. George Dockrell, with the exception of Young, had a productive outing, easily winning three games.
Brief scores: England 334-8 in 50 overs (Will Jacks 94, Sam Hain 89; George Dockrell 3-43, Craig Young 2-38) vs Ireland.
