Salt struck McCarthy’s slow ball through the covers for six runs before smashing him through midwicket for another maximum, continuing his aggressive stroke play. The momentum reflected in the Ireland Cricket Team vs Sri Lanka Cricket Team Match Scorecard, where England’s batting dominance and Ireland’s bowling struggles became evident.
Jacob Bethell won the toss and chose to field first on an always challenging pitch for Ireland. Ross Adair slog-swept Baker to deep midwicket for one run; however, Ireland were never likely to reach a winning total in this matchup.
| Match | Format | Date / Series | Result / Scorecard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latest – 3rd T20I (Ireland vs Sri Lanka) | T20I | Feb 18, 2024 – Sri Lanka Tour of Ireland 2024 | SL 189/6 (20); IRE 170/8 (20) — Sri Lanka won by 19 runs (ESPNcricinfo Scorecard | Cricbuzz Scorecard) |
| 2nd T20I | T20I | Feb 16, 2024 – Sri Lanka Tour of Ireland 2024 | SL 161/10 (19.5); IRE 164/6 (18.3) — Ireland won by 4 wickets (ESPNcricinfo Scorecard | Cricbuzz Scorecard) |
| 1st T20I | T20I | Feb 14, 2024 – Sri Lanka Tour of Ireland 2024 | SL 182/5 (20); IRE 175/9 (20) — Sri Lanka won by 7 runs (ESPNcricinfo Scorecard | Cricbuzz Scorecard) |
IRELAND: 196 for 3
Phil Salt scored an unbeaten 89 from 46 balls as England made light work of their chase for 197 in Malahide. Jacob Bethell started off his record-breaking captaincy by leading them to victory by four wickets with 14 balls remaining, providing Harry Brook an easy replacement batting alongside Lorcan Tucker for whom they put on a decisive 123 run stand in 68 balls.
Salt launched an amazing slog-sweep off Gareth Delany to put his side 102-3 in the eleventh over, then chipped one past campher at extra cover for another boundary hit in just under ten overs, with Bethell contributing 24 from 16 balls as their No 3 batsman. Salt reached his fifth T20I century of his seven innings while racing his way towards their target in record time.
Jos Buttler had been in blistering form in England’s record-setting Powerplay blitz against South Africa on Friday evening, and continued this against Ireland’s struggling attack on Sunday afternoon. He launched Graham Hume’s second over with two sixes off its first ball, then lashed a four-run straight drive at its conclusion for another four.
Salt was in such sublime form that he struck three more threes off Hume’s third over to move up to 81 from 54 balls before smashing Sam Curran’s fourth ball for six over long-on for 85 from 52 deliveries.
Salt’s dismissal created an initial wobble for England after he was caught at deep midwicket off Tector’s high full toss, but Jamie Overton quickly got them home with a bang as he belted McCarthy for six sixes to reach unbeaten 95 from 62 balls and Tucker adding 55 from 48 deliveries for an elegant performance that sealed England’s maiden series win against Ireland – leaving them reeling after suffering such a heavy defeat which will do little for their hopes of reaching World Cup final final next March.
ENGLAND: 159 for 4
After an uneven first day on Melbourne’s MCG, England rebounded after lunch to take control. Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and James Anderson took control of the top order with ease; each taking two wickets during that session. Unfortunately for England though, Joe Root and Ben Stokes both made modest totals before falling. Luckily Jacob Bethell scored 40 runs while Harry Brook held on until tea.
Rain hindered Ireland’s run-chase attempt, yet their target of 175 second innings runs was reached in just 7.1 overs. While Zak Crawley (37) and Jack Delany (29) both contributed, Ireland never looked in danger of relinquishing their advantage at halfway point.
As the innings wore on, Stuart Broad’s spell of swing bowling made short work of India’s middle order. The 32-year-old took four scalps – three from among India’s top six players to reduce them to 17-2 when play resumed.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Hardik Pandya provided some resistance before succumbing. England sealed their victory shortly before Kuldeep Yadav came in as a bowling replacement.
England celebrated a significant victory, breaking a 15-match winless streak dating back to 2013-14 Ashes series at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Furthermore, this was also the first Test at MCG since Australia won it back in 1921 to complete in less than two days.
England’s victory also gave them hope that they can retake the Ashes after almost 15 years, although pressure will still be intense before starting on January 4 at Sydney Oval’s fifth and final Test match against his former side, however Alastair Cook will take heart from recent performances of young players such as seamer Ben Duckett and fast bowler Brydon Carse – two players likely to feature heavily against Australia on this tour. It will be interesting to observe whether England can maintain such youthful vigor throughout its tour journey.
IRELAND: 158 for 5
Ireland are riding high after their win against Canada; even though their performance in this tournament has largely been disappointing. Winning two in a row should help relieve some of the pressure put upon Irish players – a young squad which should take plenty of positives away from this win.
Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie made impressive half-centuries as Ireland posted 153/5 in 20 overs. Mark Adair proved his worth with two wickets from 22 overs he bowled for Ireland; as an opener they allowed runs to flow freely while Balbirnie led his side home with almost three overs to spare!
England’s openers struggled, with Buttler falling for four-ball duck and Hales caught at short fine leg by Brendan Taylor. Moeen Ali hit two sixes and four fours during his innings – needing the support of teammates to reach his target.
Rain returned just before the final over was scheduled to begin, not posing much of an issue due to cavernous stadium and large puddles on pitch.
Moeen edged a pull shot towards the long on boundary and, after facing several deliveries of spin bowling, eventually got hold of one and turned it for a single to add 20 runs with Malan.
England had a tantalising taste of victory when they approached their target, only for rain to arrive shortly thereafter and spoil any chances they may have of qualifying for the semi-finals. While England may be disappointed at how their match ended, this outcome should not be seen as devastating: England still have a chance at reaching semi-finals!
England will play Australia in their final group match of this World Cup on Friday morning in Melbourne. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan also scheduled to compete, but due to unfavorable conditions their match is postponed until Saturday. Afghanistan are top of their pool followed by Sri Lanka, Ireland and Afghanistan before the bottom teams are eliminated after this round. Although this World Cup has been hosted on four previous occasions by Australia it marks the first time it will take place at an actual Test venue.
ENGLAND: 158 for 6
England’s middle order produced an outstanding display, helping secure them a series win against Sri Lanka at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Sunday with one game still left. Chasing a revised DLS target of 351-68, Ben Duckett scored unbeaten 165 to help set an impressive score and was supported by Josh Inglis (64 off 61) at number three as well as Tom Banton who notched up 57 not out.
England’s bowlers, led by Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes who had both recently returned from injury, struggled to find their rhythm on an open track with plenty of grass and significant turn. Thanks to a strong performance from Harry Brook’s lower order, England were not forced to work too hard.
The visitors were dealt an early blow, as Archer dismissed Travis Head (6) and Mark Wood (1-75) took three wickets – Matthew Short (1-20), Marnushka Labuschagne (6), and both caught by Glenn Maxwell off Adil Rashid (2-65) for short scores at cover. But they quickly rebuilt their innings, with Labuschagne being bowled by Adil Rashid (2-65) shortly thereafter and Short falling victim to an incredible catch by Glenn Maxwell at deep midwicket off Adil Rashid’s bowlering attack!
Buttler batted at number seven and amassed 83 off 48 balls alongside Tom Curran before both were dismissed lbw by Zampa (3-64). England kept up their scoring pace despite Joe Root being given out through a DRS decision and Jos Buttler falling just after the interval.
Ollie Pope sealed England’s series victory when Nathan Lyon was dismissed with the easiest of dismissals by Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon. As Lyon attempted to play it up and away but it skidded off, Australian off-spinner took three wickets with the very first delivery of the new session by Australian off-spinner Andrew Tye – giving England an undefeated two-match advantage going back into Colombo for their T20I final match at The Village starting 1.30pm GMT on Tuesday; Sofascore provides live updates by providing all pertinent data and showing which sites offer live betting options by providing live updates with data and live updates as you follow match progresses by providing live ball-by-ball updates during each over by providing you with all relevant data and updates and showing which sites offer live betting options through live updates provided on Sofascore and updates provided live ball-by-ball updates and shows which sites offer live betting opportunities and which sites offer live updates live.