England vs Ireland 2020: 1st ODI, Preview: ODI Super League In Focus As Young England Look To Overpower Ireland

As Joe Root passes the baton to ODI captain Eoin Morgan, he will look to maintain the momentum for the home team in the first of three match series against Ireland, starting on Thursday at The Rose Bowl in Southampton. All the three matches in the series will be played at the same venue to ensure the ‘bio-bubble’ environment is maintained during the time of novel coronavirus pandemic.

England have picked up a young and relatively inexperienced side to face the neighbours with Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer missing out on the team bus. The series will give a fair reflection on the upcoming talents England possess and help them gain confidence to play at an international stage.

A pack of non-regular English players including Liam Dawson, David Willey, Tom Curran and Sam Billings will have a chance to take a go at the not-so-frightening Irish side and display their prowess. Reece Topley returns to the English side for the first time in four years and might well earn his ODI cap. Boosting the pack will be some serious talents.

ODI Super League in focus for Ireland

The series between England and Ireland will mark the beginning of the inaugural edition of the ODI Super League, which will be a road to the 2023 World Cup in India. Though England automatically qualify for the marquee tournament, all the matches in the bi-lateral series will be of utmost importance for the Irish side. Five teams will battle it out to grab berths for the 2023 World Cup.

Irish captain Andrew Balbirnie had showed confidence in his side ahead of the series, having said that they can upset England. However, their performance against the England Lions in a warm-up match lacked lusture as they were well and truly beaten.

Opener Paul Stirling, Balbirnie, William Porterfield, Kevin O’Brien and Harry Tector will be important from the Irish batting point of view while the bowling attack will be led by Boyd Rankin with Simi Singh playing a crucial role.

Date and venue:

July 30, 2020, 06:30 pm IST, The Rose Bowl, Southampton.

Playing combinations:

England named a 14-man squad for the three-ODI series against Ireland. Moeen Ali will be the deputy captain of the home side which bolsters of young talents. Since a few big names have not been considered for selection Reece Topley, left-arm fast bowler, can make his debut for the home team.

Predicted Playing XI:

Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, James Vince, Eoin Morgan (C), Sam Billings (WK), Tom Banton, Moeen Ali, David Willey, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley

Ireland: 

Ireland tested their players in the warm-up matches and will go in for the best possible combination.

Predicted Playing XI:

Paul Stirling, James McCollum, Andrew Balbirnie (C), William Porterfield, Gary Wilson (WK), Kevin O Brien, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, George Dockrell, Tim Murtagh, Boyd Rankin

Pitch Conditions: 

Traditionally the Rose Bowl has been a batting-friendly wicket, making lives difficult for the fast bowlers and it is expected to remain that way during the series opener. However, the pitch is expected to offer bounce for the fast bowlers with little seam movement.

Weather forecast:

At present there is sun over the Rose Bowl with no chance of rain. The weather is expected to remain the same tomorrow with no disruptions due to rain. It could, however, remain partly cloudy throughout the day.

Head-to-head:

England: 8

Ireland: 1

No Result: 1

Match Prediction:

With a rather inexperienced side, England look like the favourites to win at the home ground. Ireland will expect one of their top five batsmen to click and help them reach to a respectable total but the English side are too good and will look to dominate the proceedings.