England and Ireland will face each other in the second of the three-match ODI series on Saturday. The winner of this match will be in the safe zone of not losing the series after the 1st ODI was washed out without a single ball being bowled.
After the opening ODI of the series was abandoned without a single bowled ball at Headingley on Wednesday, England and Ireland will try again on Saturday in Nottingham. This game comes as the countdown to the 2023 Cricket World Cup is now reduced to less than 14 days. Read on as we take a look at this game. The game starts at 11:00 a.m. local time at Trent Bridge.
With Joe Root now resting ahead of the 2023 Cricket World Cup and Jason Roy turning down the opportunity to play in that series, England will be very inexperienced but still have plenty of talent in their squad.
Delays and cancellations due to rain are nothing new for the Irish team this summer and they will be eager to travel to Nottingham for the chance to take a 1-0 lead in this series.
Team Preview
England
England have opted to rest a number of players who took part in the New Zealand series. This refreshed England squad is led by Zak Crawley, which also includes three players who are yet to play their first cap. Crawley has played just three ODIs so far, scoring 97 runs at an average of 48.50 and a strike rate of 114. This series will be a great opportunity for him to stake his claim as an ODI batter as well.
Watch out for Sam Hain in this series, who is yet to be capped. In List A cricket, the middle-order batsman has the second highest historical average at an impressive 57.96. In recent years he has diversified his style of play, becoming a versatile batter with a 360-degree approach against fast bowlers and a tactful strategist against spinners.
The promising talent of Phil Salt is also worth mentioning. In his 14 ODIs, he contributed significantly collecting 460 runs at an average of 38.33 and maintaining an impressive strike rate of 125.
Joe Root, who was included in the England squad for the first ODI, is unlikely to remain in the squad for the second game and is instead expected to rest.
England's bowling department will also feature several new faces, including Brydon Carse and George Scrimshaw, as well as Luke Wood, Craig Overton and Matthew Potts, all offering seam bowling options. Rehan Ahmed is the main spin bowler in the team. The 19-year-old leg-spinner has only played one ODI so far, but in his first Test, he ended up taking seven wickets against Pakistan in Karachi.
Ireland
The Irish squad for the England series looks strong and its core includes the experienced Paul Stirling. Stirling, who has performed exceptionally well recently with 346 runs in the last ten games, will captain the team. According to their announcement, Andrew Balbirnie and Stirling will be the starting batsmen for Ireland. Balbirnie has played 13 ODIs this year, scoring 363 runs at an average of 36.30 and a strike rate of 73.33.
Curtis Camphor will take the No. 3 spot in this series. He has been a key figure in the Irish middle class for some time, but we believe he should be able to deliver in this new role too.
Harry Tector is a batsman worth keeping by your side. As a middle-order player, he delivered consistently strong performances, averaging almost 49 runs in his last ten games.
Mark Adair and Josh Little will lead Ireland's bowling attack. These conditions should suit the two talented new ball bowlers. Adair, with 20 wickets in his last 10 games and a strike rate of 24.4, is our pick as the standout bowler for Ireland in this series.
Pitch Report
Trent Bridge, Nottingham's pitch is expected to help the batters. The Pacers could get some help in the early stages of the matchup. However, the duel could definitely be dominated by the batters. Choosing to bowl first and then go after the target could be an optimal decision.
Toss Prediction
Each of the last three ODIs at Trent Bridge have been won by the team that batted first and we expect both captains to opt to bat first if they win the toss ahead of this game.
Weather Report
The weather forecast has improved significantly compared to the first ODI at Headingley. We can expect a consistently dry day, although the temperature will not rise above 16 degrees.
Head to Head
England and Ireland have played 13 one-day internationals against each other so far. England won ten of these games, while Ireland won two of them.
Match Prediction
With England expected to field one of their weakest ODI lineups in many years, Ireland believe they have a real chance of winning the game on Saturday. A lot will depend on how England's inexperienced batting line-up performs, but overall we think they have enough quality throughout the team to secure victory.
England to beat Ireland in 2nd ODI
Venue Details
The average first-team score at Trent Bridge is 250. The highest team total at the venue is the whopping 481-6 scored by England against Australia in 2018. It was the highest team total in ODIs at the time before England broke it against the Netherlands last year. In fact, Trent Bridge has scored two totals over 400, underlining its reputation as a favorable ground for batsmen. The team batting first should try to set a target of at least 320 runs.
Betting Tips
The Irish team did a good job against England despite being a new team in international cricket. They managed to register a win against England in the T20 World Cup held in Melbourne last year. They also won the last ODI played between these two countries. At the Ageas Bowl venue, they scored a total of 329 runs and recorded an unlikely victory. The pioneers of this victory were Paul Stirling and Andre Balbirnie, who are again part of the current team. Although the visitors fancy their chances against this inexperienced team, the young England team appears to be quite strong in both batting and bowling departments. We expect England to win the game and take the lead early in the series.
Probable Playing XI
England
Zak Crawley (c), Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Harry Brook, Sam Hain, Jamie Smith, Rehan Ahmed, Luke Wood, George Scrimshaw, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts
Ireland
Paul Stirling (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy
Top Fantasy Picks Dream11 Prediction
England Key Players
Ben Duckett – It has been a remarkable 12 months for the diminutive left-hander who many thought would not be selected at international level after 2016. He loves getting to the ball with the bat and will attack from the first shot.
Will Jacks – The Surrey all-rounder had some good starts with the bat during the T20I series against New Zealand earlier this summer and will be targeting the short boundaries at this venue.
Luke Wood – The opening bowler has had some great evenings at Trent Bridge during his time with the Trent Rockets in the Men's Hundred and most pundits see him as England's strongest bowler in the series.
Ireland Key Players
Paul Stirling – The right-handed opener will enjoy the pace off the wicket at Trent Bridge. Regardless of where the ball is thrown, he will look to attack the England bowlers.
Harry Tector – The middle-order batsman, who is only in his early 20s, has quickly become his country's most reliable run-scorer in the format and will be an important wicket for England to target.
Josh Little – The fiery left-arm pace bowler is considered Ireland's most talented player of the current generation and he enjoyed his time with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL earlier this year.
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