In a piece of English cricket history, Jacob Bethell was made England’s youngest-ever captain during the ENG vs IRE T20I game at Malahide. At the age of 21, Bethell broke a record from the 19th century held by Monty Bowden, who was 23 when he led England to a Test against South Africa in 1889.
This achievement initiated a new, interesting era for English cricket, with Bethell becoming the captain in his first complete international T20I.
Bethell’s First Day as England Captain
Jacob Bethell won the toss and made the brave call to bowl first, with Ireland going into bat. This decision only added to the intrigue of a captaincy debut, as England’s last outing was in their mammoth innings against South Africa, in which they set the record with 304 runs.
England’s Line-Up for the ENG vs IRE T20I
England brought two major changes to their team for the ENG vs IRE match. Major players Jofra Archer and Harry Brook were rested, replaced by Rehan Ahmed, who was positioned at No. 4 in the order.
The addition of Ahmed, a young leg-spinner allrounder, increased England’s abundant spin bowling resources. Jamie Overton also joined the playing XI as the third seamer, with the England side boasting five spinners in all.
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There was no place for Jordan Cox, who had been included in the team following impressive showings in the Hundred, being named Player of the Tournament for the Oval Invincibles. Unused players in the English team alongside Cox are Sonny Baker, Scott Currie, and Tom Hartley.
Ireland’s Challenge without Their Best Players
Even with their strong history against England, Ireland had a difficult challenge in the ENG vs IRE T20I because two of their star bowlers, Mark Adair and Josh Little, were out injured.
Instead, Ireland chose to play a team with four front-line seamers, with left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys, who was available to be used as a new-ball option. Ireland’s selection also included Gareth Delany selected in place of the uncapped Ben Calitz, even though captain Paul Stirling acknowledged that the middle order badly needed a left-handed batsman to negate opposition spinners.
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Weather and Crowd Expectations
The weather in Dublin made for a complete 20-over match, after overnight rain led to blue skies and sunshine. Although the match was not a sell-out by any stretch, Cricket Ireland expected a large crowd, with temporary stands close to full capacity.
Full Squads for ENG vs IRE T20I
Ireland:
Paul Stirling (c)
Ross Adair
Harry Tector
Lorcan Tucker (wk)
Gareth Delany
George Dockrell
Curtis Campher
Barry McCarthy
Graham Hume
Matthew Humphreys
Craig Young
England:
Phil Salt
Jos Buttler (wk)
Jacob Bethell (c)
Rehan Ahmed
Sam Curran
Tom Banton
Will Jacks
Jamie Overton
Liam Dawson
Adil Rashid
Luke Wood
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