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Jacob Bethell’s big day was hardly straightforward but this was still a brutal showing by England. With Ireland putting up 196, some serious work was required to avoid an upset as the 21-year-old became his country’s youngest men’s captain.
Enter Phil Salt, ready to make headlines again. The opener followed his 141 against South Africa last Friday with 89 off 46 balls as England secured victory in the first of three Twenty20 internationals, with 14 balls to spare.
Ireland’s bowling effort fell way short of their impressive work in the first half, when Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker combined for a third-wicket partnership of 128 off 11.2 overs, the former top-scoring with an unbeaten 61 off 36 balls. Bethell was right to call Tector one of Ireland’s main threats in the buildup.
But Salt, particularly effective with the pull shot, showed he can do it in the chase too. Another rollicking opening stand with Jos Buttler – they amassed 74 inside five overs – made the remainder comfortable, a spurt of late wickets causing little bother.
Malahide was a lovely, leafy sight in the early afternoon, overnight rain making way for a poking sun. This was much needed for Ireland, short on fixtures at home because of a tight budget and with a three-match series against West Indies in June – their last assignment – including two washouts.
Paul Stirling was grateful for the autumnal opportunity, putting on 57 for the first wicket alongside Ross Adair, no early release provided to Bethell. The Ireland captain pummelled Liam Dawson over long-off and decoded Sam Curran’s slower ball on his way to a 22-ball 34.
The hosts, up against the veteran pair of Dawson and Adil Rashid, were keen to crush spin. Adair and Stirling found deep midwicket and long-on respectively as they tried to launch the tweakers, but Tucker and Tector remained on the hunt, sweeping and surviving; Tucker successfully reviewed a leg-before decision on 20 to deny Rashid.
Tucker had played a valuable hand at No 3 in the last T20 meeting between these sides, hitting 34 in a memorable victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the 2022 World Cup. Tector had the experience of being out in the middle five years ago, in his first one-day international series, when Ireland beat England by seven wickets in a pandemic bout at Southampton. The two twentysomethings had no reason to be fazed by this occasion.
Tector pumped Rashid over the leg side to celebrate his half-century off 31 balls, the fourth six conceded by the leg-spinner, and there was batting joy at the death too – Ireland hit 45 off the last three overs. Tucker, with the prized ability of sending pace over long-off, perished to a Jamie Overton bumper off the final over but George Dockrell’s first-ball six provided the perfect finish.
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Still, Salt and Buttler were fresh from their pyro party last week, when they put up 126 inside eight overs. They immediately threatened to match that effort, taking just three overs to bring up 50; Buttler took 22 off one Graham Hume set, striking down the ground as he turned the 34-year-old’s medium pace into throwdowns.
Matthew Humphreys’ left-arm spin forced a miscue off Buttler on 28 and out strolled Bethell, with plenty still to do. Any nerves were understandable as the left-hander searched for the middle, his first 12 balls returning just 10. Salt appeared out to Tector’s part-time spin on 51 after finding a fielder, but a no-ball call kept the opener’s cruelty coming.
Bethell finally clicked with a series of boundaries off Tector but fell in the same over with a chip to cover for 24. Rehan Ahmed emerged for his first England appearance of the year, granted an opportunity at No 4, but was a touch too eager when he charged Gareth Delany’s leg-spin and was bowled for eight. At 130 for three inside 11 overs, there was little jeopardy in his departure.
Salt fell short of a fifth T20 international hundred, which would have seen him match Glenn Maxwell and Rohit Sharma at the top of the pile, carving the expensive Hume to deep point at the end of the 16th over. But England were in no position to fall from there.
