In a thrilling conclusion to the third ENG vs IRE T20I, Jordan Cox’s 35-ball 55 led England to a dominating six-wicket victory, clinching a 2-0 series win over Ireland. Played at The Village in Dublin, the match had a rain interruption but still produced an entertaining performance, with England chasing Ireland’s score of 154/8 with 2.5 overs remaining.
Ireland’s Early Acceleration Falters as England Stage Comeback
Having been asked to bat first, Ireland sought to set a challenging score, with Ross Adair asserting himself in the first overs. Adair hit a six off Sonny Baker, then added a couple of scattered boundaries to get the Ireland innings started well. England then quickly fought back with both Irsh openers gone in a couple of overs.
Following Adair’s dismissal by Rehan Ahmed in the seventh over, Ireland suffered a mini-collapse losing two key wickets in Lorcan Tucker and Curtis Campher, after which the hosts struggled at 58/4 at the halfway point. A brief recovery from Benjamin Calitz and Harry Tector soon came to an end with Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid’s spin duo taking 3 wickets in consecutive overs which left Ireland in shambles.
Gareth Delany’s Bravado Takes Ireland to 154/8
Gareth Delany led a gritty fight against wickets lost, remaining unbeaten on 48 from 29 deliveries, with three boundaries and two sixes. His late-game power hitting helped Ireland post a fighting score of 154/8. But it was an uphill task for the Irish bowlers, as they needed initial success to mount pressure on the England pursuit.
England’s Chase: Cox and Banton Crucial partnership
With the rain delay rescheduling the beginning of England’s chase, Ireland would have wished that the conditions might favor them to some extent. England’s chase got off to a shaky beginning, though.
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Curtis Campher of Ireland took a brilliant catch to send England’s captain Jos Buttler back to the pavilion in the second over. Next, Jacob Bethell got out cheaply after a good beginning, putting England in an early test at 30/2.
But Jordan Cox had different plans. Right from the beginning, Cox showed his belligerent intentions, attacking Ireland’s bowlers. He sent Craig Young packing with a six over fine leg and followed it up with a beautiful drive past the covers for a boundary off the pacer. In the next over itself, Cox dominated further, smashing Campher for another boundary.
Cox’s aggressive batting display had him override an LBW decision via a successful appeal, from where he went on to ravage boundaries. With Benjamin White’s arrival to bowl, Cox tore him apart for 19 runs from the over.
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Jordan Cox Brings Up Maiden T20I Fifty in ENG vs IRE
With the run rate in check, Cox scored his first T20I half-century with an excellent six over deep mid-wicket. Even though he lost his wicket to White in the 16th over, England were nicely placed to chase down the target, thanks to Tom Banton who was giving solid support at the other end.
England Complete Comfortable Chase
With Banton being the support act and Cox’s fireworks earlier, England easily coasted to victory, reaching 155/4 in 17.1 overs. The chase was achieved without much ado, and England completed the match and the series in commanding style.
Ireland: 154/8 in 20 overs (Gareth Delany 48*, Ross Adair 33; Adil Rashid 3-29, Liam Dawson 2-9)
England: 155/4 in 17.1 overs (Jordan Cox 55, Tom Banton 37*; Craig Young 1-21)
Result: England won by 6 wickets
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