Ireland scent blood against England

Minnows to face tourists in one-off ODI today.

DUBLIN: Ireland hope to take advantage of a weakened England side when the teams meet today in a one-off One-Day International (ODI) match at Malahide.

With only four survivors from England’s last 50-over contest, the Champions Trophy final against India in June, Ireland will scent another upset and a repeat of their famous victory in Bangalore at the 2011 World Cup.

It will be a full-strength Ireland line-up, although they are likely to face two compatriots among the opposition.

One is a certainty because Eoin Morgan has been named as captain, in place of the rested Alistair Cook, for the second successive time against his native country and Boyd Rankin is expected to make his ODI debut as well.

To date, Rankin has played only two Twenty20 games in the Three Lions shirt after quitting the Ireland team last year to pursue his ambition of playing Test cricket for England.

He was left out of both games against Australia last week, but the Warwickshire paceman seems likely to follow Ed Joyce as an Englishman who made his debut against the country of his birth.

Joyce, the Sussex captain, is likely to be key to an Ireland success, being in the form of his life, averaging 72 in first-class cricket this season, and he has scored 455 runs in seven innings for Ireland this year.

It will be also be a special day for 39-year-old former Ireland captain Trent Johnston, who plays his last game before retiring from international cricket at the end of the year.

Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, James Tredwell and Morgan are the only players named in the 14-man England squad who played in the Champions League final. Those hoping to catch the eye include new faces Michael Carberry, Chris Jordan, Gary Ballance, Danny Briggs and 19 year-old Somerset all-rounder Jamie Overton.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2013.

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