England vs Ireland preview

Posted on | March 30, 2007 | No Comments

The title of this post would have given you the impression that we are talking about a football game between England and Ireland. Surprisingly, the sport is not football but cricket and this is the first time that England has met any of its neighbours in the second stage of the World Cup.

England qualified second behind New Zealand in Group C. They won 2 out of their three games there-against Kenya and Canada. The English haven’t played such cricket that would set the alarm bells ringing in the opposition camps, and this is the right time for Michael Vaughan’s side to start peaking. Ireland’s first ODI was against England, and the man who made a century for England that day is not in the squad- Marcus Trescothick. England do have an ace up their sleeve in the form of Ed Joyce- who is Irish by birth and knows many of the Irish players. Joyce has played for Ireland in the ICC trophy, and England will need all the tips he can provide. Dalyrymple may be brought back to provide England the option of another spinner.
Ireland,who were expected to be back home by this stage of the tournament, have proved to be the surprise package of the tournament. An upset victory over Pakistan and a last ball tie against Zimbabwe have propelled Andy Birell’s side to the super eight. Captain Trent Johnston is back for the Irish after missing the last game against the West Indies. The strength of the Irish lies in their bowling. Boyd Rankin, with his height can unsettle many batsmen with the bounce he gets off the pitch. They bowl straight and the likes of Johnston, Botha and Langford Smith are pretty economical. Having said that, I feel that the Irish do have a slight problem with their batting.They can bat, but they do not look capable of posting a score above 250. 200 has been difficult for them to achieve, and when you come to these games, 200 won’t win you games.One of the reasons for that is their inability to string up a big, big partnership at the top of the order. Usually it is one man who holds the innings together, and the rest chip in with 10′s and 20′s. Eoin Morgan hasn’t fired in this tournament, and he will be keen to show why he is so highly regarded.

This IMO will be England’s game. They just have too much class for the Irish, and if the English play normally, there is no reason why they should not win. But if they do have an off day like the Pakistanis did, Ireland might pull off another upset here.Joyce to play a good innings at the top of the order, and Panesar to run through the Irish on a ground which appears to assist the slower bowlers

Related posts:

1. England vs Ireland preview- World Cup 2011 Betting preview
2. India vs Ireland cricket betting preview- WC 2011
3. Ireland vs Netherlands betting preview- World Cup 2011
4. Ireland vs Zimbabwe preview
5. Australia vs Ireland preview

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