In ODI cricket’s return in a world of new normals, England faced Ireland in Southampton. In a world of new normals, the world was played behind closed doors with safety measures in place due to the ongoing pandemic.
David Willey bagged a five-wicket haul before Sam Billings shone with the bat as England swept aside Ireland by six wickets in the opening One-Day International (ODI) of the three-match series at the Rose Bowl Cricket Ground in Southampton on Friday.
After England won the toss and elected to bowl first, Willey ran through the Ireland batting line-up as he bagged five wickets while conceding just 30 runs.
Saqib Mahmood also claimed two wickets, while Adil Rashid and Tom Curran chipped in with a wicket each as the hosts bundled out Ireland cheaply for 177 runs inside 44.3 overs.
Ireland lost opener Paul Sterling (2), skipper Andy Balbirnie (3), Harry Tector (0) and wicketkeeper-batsman Lorcan Tucker (0) cheaply.
Opening batsman Gareth Delany and batsman Kevin O’Brien also failed to convert their good starts into big scores and departed for 22 runs each.
Curtis Campher and Andy McBrine were the top scorers for the visitors with unbeaten 59 and 40 runs, respectively.
In reply, England lost opener Jonny Bairstow cheaply for two runs.
Bairstow’s opening partner Jason Roy and first-drop James Vince notched up 24 and 25 runs, respectively before Sam Billings (67) and skipper Eoin Morgan (36) stitched an unbeaten stand of 96 runs for the fifth wicket to help their side chase down the target in 27.5 overs.
For Ireland, Craig Young bagged two wickets, while McBrine and Campher added a wicket each in their accounts.
Willey was declared ‘Played of the Match’ for his impressive performance with the ball.
England have taken a 1-0 lead in the 2 match series with the second ODI of the series to be played at the same venue on the 1st of August.
