Ireland tend to keep quiet on the subject of a so-called under-strength England team arriving on their shores, knowing that until they register their first win in the biennial fixture, they have little basis from which to grumble about the make-up of their opposition.
Here in the picturesque coastal town of Malahide, a short drive north of Dublin, Friday’s one-off one-day international between the two sides represents a fifth opportunity for William Porterfield’s associate side to get one over their rivals from across the Irish Sea. And of course, what constitutes a first-choice England side these days is very much up for debate following a World Cup in which the seemingly open goal of reaching knockout stages was missed with some breathtakingly fearful cricket and four defeats against their fellow full-member nations.
That group stage exit, along with the decision by those besuited golden goose stranglers at the England and Wales Cricket Board who saw fit to schedule a one-day international in the same week a Test match in Barbados, means we at least have some fresh-faced, up-and-at-’em products of the county system to watch.
With the incumbent one-day captain Eoin Morgan given a pass by the ECB to instead turn out in the Indian Premier League – a precedent some believe is dangerous, others forward-thinking – the Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor steps up to lead a side that could, in theory, boast up to seven debutants in the format.
Names like Jason Roy, Sam Billings, James Vince and David Willey should offer hope to any England supporter who follows domestic white-ball cricket, and Taylor, who becomes the country’s 32nd captain in one-day internationals in only his 18th appearance, has a simple message for them at the start of the latest four-year World Cup cycle.
“I know what an exciting bunch of guys they are and how talented they are,” said Taylor, whose own England debut came in Dublin, at Clontarf club, four years ago. “I am massively keen for the players to come out and express themselves. I don’t want them, just because they’re playing for England, to feel like they need to play as an England player. I want them to go out and do exactly what they’ve done in county cricket. That’s the reason they’re here. I’m going to encourage them to play with freedom, and show the world what they can do.”
His opposite number Porterfield, meanwhile, was hoping the occasion will have the reverse effect. “There might be some nerves in the England changing room,” he said. “So it will be interesting to see if they can still play with the same freedom they have in county cricket.”
Nerves aside, Taylor was oblivious to news that the former Test captain Andrew Strauss has agreed to take over as director of England cricket and played down the significance of the fixture for the future of the head coach Peter Moores, whose record in one-day cricket since returning to the job last April reads played 29, lost 18.
While a decision on Moores’ continuation or otherwise will likely already have been made, the fixture was deemed important enough for the head coach and his assistant Paul Farbrace to fly straight from Barbados to Dublin via London to prepare the side on Thursday.
Having dragged skiddy seamer Mark Wood, wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and legspinner Adil Rashid around the Caribbean as drinks waiters – the latter two to the annoyance of their county Yorkshire – England will surely reward those efforts, and their own 4,000-mile return flight, with a game.
Surrey’s Twenty20 tearaway Roy is expected to open alongside Alex Hales, who was one of the victims of a selection whirlpool during the winter but has started the season in blistering form for Nottinghamshire, albeit in county championship cricket. The Kent wicketkeeper Billings, who could play as a specialist batsman, is another electric ball-striker who must play and be given time.
With a – dare we say it – emerald-green pitch laid out in front of them, the conditions will be a far cry from those experienced during the winter and should suit Steven Finn and the returning Tim Bresnan, who will play his first game for England since the World Twenty20 last year. Tipped to be slow and seaming, the surface could of course provide the perfect leveller for the two sides and make the toss all-important, should the forecast afternoon rain stay away.
Not that Ireland see themselves as underdogs, having outshone their near-neighbours at the World Cup with three victories – including the full-member sides West Indies and Zimbabwe – while consistently chuntering about their possible future exclusion from the proposed 10-team tournament in 2019.
Cricket Ireland’s chief executive Warren Deutrom remains hopeful the International Cricket Council will reverse that decision or at least expand its format to include a qualifying round at the main event and has welcomed early talk from the incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves about more fixtures between played the two sides in future.
Deutrom also confirmed that Porterfield is working on county team-mate Boyd Rankin to consider a return to Ireland duty, with the Warwickshire fast bowler eligible to make the switch back at the start of next year after seeing his England career stall since that ill-fated Ashes tour the winter before last. Their seam department needs him.
While Strauss has decided to stay away from Friday’s match, where he was due to commentate for Sky, the former New Zealand and Gloucestershire coach John Bracewell will be observing before officially taking over as Ireland head coach in June. For both sets of players, therefore, the fixture represents the perfect chance to impress. Whether it proves a last hurrah for Moores – a man whose reputation for developing young players must not be forgotten – remains to be seen.
Possible teams
England 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 James Vince, 4 James Taylor (capt), 5 Sam Billings, 6 Jonny Bairstow (wkt), 7 David Willey, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Tim Bresnan, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Steven Finn
Ireland 1 Will Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Niall O’Brien, 5 Andrew Balbirnie, 6 Gary Wilson (wkt), 7 Kevin O’Brien, 8 John Mooney, 9 George Dockrell, 10 Alex Kusack, 11 Craig Young
