Days after England conclude their ongoing Test series against the West Indies, the Three Lions will cross swords with Ireland in the inaugural series of the World Cup Super League, starting from July 30.
The series will be played under similar bio-secure regulations, with all the matches taking place behind closed doors. This will be followed by Pakistan's tour of England which includes three Tests and as many T20Is.
Here's all you need to know about England's clash against Ireland that will commence at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
What is the World Cup Super League?
In a bid to add value to ODI series, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the World Cup Super League, which will serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India.
The tournament will feature 13 teams – Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands.
Each team will play four home and four away three-match ODI series over the next two years. Each match win will earn them 10 points, a tie or no result will give them five and none upon defeat.
The top seven teams, excluding India who have already qualified courtesy of being the hosts, will seal their spot at the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
The five teams that miss out will play in the World Cup qualifier tournament alongside the five associate nations and the two finalists in the tournament will head to India to take part in the 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup.
Squads:
England:
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire, wkt), Tom Banton (Somerset), Sam Billings (Kent, wkt), Tom Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Joe Denly (Kent), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Reece Topley (Surrey), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Yorkshire)
Reserves: Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire)
Amidst the ongoing Test, England's ODI teams are currently playing their trade in intra-squad warm-up fixtures. World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan will continue to lead the side, while Moeen Ali marks his return. The England selectors have also called the likes of David Willey and Reece Topley. The pair has been out of action for quite some time, with Topley's last cricketing action coming back in 2016.
With only a day separating the final ODI against Ireland and the first Test against Pakistan, the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer have given a rest.
The series is set to be the starting point of the ICC's Men's World Cup Super League.
Ireland:
Andrew Balbirnie (c), Paul Stirling (vc), Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young
Probable XI
England –
Prolific opening pair Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow will continue up top for England, while James Vince and Eoin Morgan will also provide some firepower up top.
Tom Banton, Sam Billings and Moeen Ali are incredible strikers of the cricket ball and can take the game away from the opposition with their hitting in the final overs.
Ali and Rashid will provide the spin option on what promises to be a slow surface, while all-rounder Sam Curran, Tom Curran, David Willey and Saqib Mahmood will form England’s pace attack in this series.
Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, James Vince, Eoin Morgan (c), Tom Banton, Sam Billings (wk), Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood
Ireland –
James McCollum, Paul Stirling and skipper Andy Balbirnie will be Ireland’s main threat with the bat, however veterans William Porterfield and Kevin O’Brien will be crucial to their team’s hopes against the world champions.
Off-spinner Simi Singh will play a key role on the slow track at the Ageas Bowl.
James McCollum, Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie (c), William Porterfield, Kevin O’Brien, Gary Wilson (wk), Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little
Fixtures:
July 30: 1st ODI; Rose Bowl, Southampton
August 01: 2nd ODI; Rose Bowl, Southampton
August 04: 3rd ODI; Rose Bowl, Southampton
When and where to watch England vs Ireland Live
All three ODIs are scheduled to start from 6:30 pm IST, and the Indian fans can enjoy the game on Sony SIX and Sony SIX HD. Other than that, you can also watch the game on SonyLiv app.
Weather Forecast:
As per the weather prediction by Accuweather, the day is set to be nice and sunny with the temperature reaching the highest at 24°.
Prediction:
Despite England missing most of their key men, expect the Morgan-led side to dominate in all three ODIs.
Ireland have the capability of upsetting the odds on their day, however, the reigning world champions have too much depth and firepower for the Irish team.
Expect England to sweep their neighbours 3-0 and gain 30 points in the World Cup Super League standings.
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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Paul Faith
