From titanic to nothing. On a wet and dramatic afternoon in Melbourne, England’s aura of invincibility was washed away by a five-run loss to an exceptional Ireland team.
With rain predicted and the required score in case it arrived posted on the large stadium scoreboard throughout the match, England batted as if it were a sunny day and suffered the price, ending up in Ireland’s shadow.
They say that failure is an orphan, but England’s family tree is extensive and unremarkable. Their victory prospects were ultimately dashed by rain, when their innings were cut short 5.3 overs before its scheduled completion, with the score disappointingly just below DLS par. However, they performed poorly in the field, key bowlers allowed runs, and the batting was mediocre. In the first half of their innings, Ireland’s batsmen performed superbly, and their seamers followed suit with the ball.
Gareth Delaney was bowling as the rain began to fall. The first ball Moeen Ali struck for six, the second for two, and the third for four. England may have won the game if he had been let to throw three more balls, but they cannot complain about their good fortune.
With a similar prognosis, Friday’s match against Australia here acquires massive proportions, becoming a virtual elimination game for both teams.
Josh Little began bowling, Jos Buttler swung and just missed his first ball, swung and made contact with his second ball, and was caught by Lorcan Tucker behind the wickets. Before Little’s delivery, it appeared doubtful that England would be unable to chase down 158. It was a nightmarish beginning to the innings, and soon the physical and figurative clouds gathered around the MCG.
After being asked to bat, Ireland sped through the beginning of their innings, making light of Paul Stirling’s departure in the third over. Later in the same over, Mark Wood bowled a wide, the batsmen ran, Buttler returned the ball to the bowler’s end, and a misfield resulted in the loss of two additional runs. This rather than the wicket established the tone.
After the innings, Wood criticized England’s fielding effort as “a bit flat, without intensity,” adding that they “gave Ireland too many four-ball overs” and “should have done better.” This was a commendably forthright assessment.
Tucker struck two fours off Chris Woakes in the following over, the first of which was a terrific ramp. Woakes bowled three overs for 41 runs before being buried in the outfield as England abandoned their preparations. Liam Livingstone was asked before the game if he was likely to receive a bowl. With a fine mist pouring, a heavy blanket of cloud cover, and a proven pace-friendly surface, his response was straightforward: “No chance.” Approximately one hour later, he scored a hat trick.
In the tenth and last over bowled by Woakes, a wide, two fours, and a six were scored, and Livingstone received the ball for the first time. His first over cost England five runs, and the next, bowled by Adil Rashid, was the turning point of England’s innings. Tucker’s luck had run out, as he was run out after Balbirnie’s direct push along the ground was diverted into the stumps by Rashid’s hand.
From 103-1, Ireland was bowled out for 157 after losing their final seven wickets for 25 runs in 23 balls. Balbirnie was the fourth batsman to be dismissed when he dropped to one knee and swept the ball to Alex Hales in the deep. Livingstone then yorked George Dockrell with his next delivery, and while there was no hat trick, England did not have to wait long for further wickets to fall. At the halfway point of Ireland’s innings, when they were 91 for 1, England likely felt that things could have been considerably worse. Eventually, they were.
