England avenged their World Cup defeat against Ireland with an 11-run victory over the hosts in Thursday’s rain-affected one-day international at Clontarf. The Irish were eyeing another famous win over England after restricting the visitors, captained by Dublin-born Eoin Morgan, to 201 for eight in 42 overs.
But hopes of a repeat of Ireland’s World Cup victory in Bangalore in March were washed away by the constant drizzle that disrupted the hosts’ chances of establishing any momentum. After two rain interruptions during the Irish innings the target was reduced to 129 from 23 overs and England were able to maintain enough control in the closing stages to secure a relatively straightforward win.
Morgan, captaining England for the first time, admitted he had struggled at times to keep up with the Duckworth/Lewis Method for rain-affected matches. “It was like being back at school to be honest,” he said. “But I really enjoyed it. “Coming on and off the field tested us a bit. The guys held their nerve at the end and did well.”
Former Ireland international Morgan was delighted by the reception he received, saying: “Everybody here’s very hospitable. Today I got a great welcome, so thank you.”
Ireland captain William Porterfield added: “It was a bit frustrating coming on and off for rain. We gave it a crack, that’s all we could do. “At half-time were were pretty happy but unfortunately the rain came again.” Despite losing to the Irish in the World Cup, England opted to make a host of changes for this match and included three debutants in their team. England’s understudies found it hard going as new boys James Taylor and Ben Stokes made just four between them.
