Battling Ireland beaten by England

Ireland battled bravely but were ultimately beaten by four wickets as England took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match ODI series. The match followed the pattern of the first as Ireland's top-order failed again, with the experienced trio of Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie and Kevin O'Brien all going cheaply along with Gareth Delany.

Harry Tector (28) scored his first ODI runs, while Lorcan Tucker chipped in with 21, but at 91 for 6, it looked bleak. Step forward Curtis Campher, who scored back-to-back half centuries, as he rescued the Irish innings.

The 21 year-old has quickly won over the doubters, skeptical of the Irish hierarchy fast-tracking him into the senior set-up bypassing the usual pathway routes. Campher looked yet again composed, assured and technically sound. He was one of the few who could read leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who bamboozled the Irish on the way to a milestone of 150 ODI wickets.

The young South African found willing allies in Simi Singh (25) and Andy McBrine (24), sharing half century stands with both as Ireland posted a respectable 212 for 9. Craig Young gave the Irish an early boost as he had Jason Roy caught at cover in the first over, but Johnny Bairstow looked in excellent touch and he soon put the Irish attack to the sword.

A barrage of boundaries saw Bairstow reach his half century in just 21 balls - equally the English record as Young and Josh Little came in for some severe punishment. The introduction of Campher saw him remove the middle stump of Vince and trap Banton lbw.

Still it looked as if it would all be academic as Bairstow continued to power along, treating all the bowlers with disdain. However, at 131 for 3, Josh Little ended his knock of 82 from 41 balls, and gave the Yorkshire man a bit of a send off.

Little then dismissed Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali for ducks, and in the space of 11 balls, England had gone from 131 for 3 to 137 for 6. All this happened while Sky were conducting an interview with England stand-in coach Paul Collingwood who, miserable at the best of times, was even more so at the end of the bizarre diary room discussion.

There's no doubt that the English had been a little arrogant in their approach to the game, but the laughs and smiles disappeared as they soon realized they were in a little trouble and a more serious approach was required. Unfortunately for Ireland, England have serious depth to not only their squad, but also their batting.

Sam Billings took a no-risk approach and David Willey soon released any pressure with a number of crunching drives and powerful hooks. The pair shared an unbroken 7th wicket stand of 79 in just under 15 overs, with Billings unbeaten again, making 46, while Willey went one better, finishing 47 not out.

Again, much for Ireland to take from the game, but they will know that top order collapses mean they are always playing catch-up. The 3 match series was scheduled to conclude three days later at the same venue, but far from being a dead rubber, there are ten crucial World Cup Qualifying points on offer in the Super League. Match Report 1005 (irem988)