That’s it from us today, congratulations England on the series win - maybe there’s even time in the schedule for a pint or two of the good stuff to celebrate this evening.
The OBO will return, goodbye.
Jacob Bethell lifts the trophy in beautiful late afternoon sun.
I couldn’t have dreamed it any better. To come out here and win the series is a great feeling. We wanted to carry on the momentum from the South Africa series and I thought we did that pretty well. Playing somewhere like Malahide was a great feeling and something I’d like to do again.
Bethell departs by saying he’s looking forward (a little) to getting back in the ranks as Harry Brook will be back at the helm for the New Zealand tour next month.
Adil Rashid (3-29) is player of the match:
I thought there was a bit of purchase for spin today, credit to Ireland, they bowled well defending 150-odd. You’ve got to adapt to the ground, wherever you go. I thought as a group we did that really well.
We’re all looking forward to it, (World Cup) it’s going to be a good one. It’s an exciting time as a group. For myself, I take it a game at a time, don’t look too far ahead. Enjoy the journey and see where life takes me.”
Phil Salt is player of the series:
It’s been a brilliant trip. To win the series is the cherry on top of a brilliant week. We’ve got a lot of cricket coming up so it’s nice to be here as a collective. Ireland have bags of talent, I know a lot of the guys fairly well, they’re stiff competition in their own conditions so nice to come away with a win.”
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Presentations:
Paul Stirling, Ireland captain:
We’ll take the positives from the week. The groundstaff in particular did really well! When you play England you don’t exactly know what a winning score is, there were a lot of good things in the games we played but we were probably fifteen runs short no matter what today.
“I’m proud of the lads, we’ll take each step as it comes, In patches we’ve been good. We’ve certainly got one eye on the World Cup. We’re very lucky with the crowds we have and are really appreciative of them.”
England win by 6 wickets (with 17 balls remaining)
There it is, Banton taps a single into the leg side to seal the match and the series 2-0. A convincing win for the visitors, Ireland had their moments but were well short with the bat. Handshakes all round as shadows stretch across the sun strewn outfield in Malahide.
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17th over: England 154-4 (Banton 36, Ahmed 9) Rehan Ahmed pings Delany through mid-on for four. A single brings Banton on strike. He charges and rockets a drive through extra cover to take England level.
16th over: England 144-4 (Banton 31, Ahmed 4) Rehan Ahmed comes to the middle and clips in the air through the leg side for a couple. White has got his fingers warmed up now and is landing them a lot better than at the start of his spell. Just five runs and the wicket off his final over, he finishes with 1-40. England need 11 from 24.
WICKET! Jordan Cox b White 55 (England 139-4)
Bowled’im! Cox stays on the back foot and is beaten all ends up by the turn!
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15th over: England 139-3 (Cox 55, Banton 30) Gareth Delany into the attack, curly mullet looking sublime in the Malahide breeze. Tom Banton skips down to his legspin and lofts a hold the pose four down the ground. Eight off the over with no great fuss and England could wrap this up very soon.
14th over: England 131-3 (Cox 54, Banton 23) Jordan Cox brings up his first international half century with a towering SIX over the leg side off Barry McCarthy. He’s been bottom handed, brutal and mightily effective today. Ten off the over, England need just 24 more.
13th over: England 121-3 (Cox 46, Banton 21) White is unlucky as an edge from Banton runs away for another boundary. He drops short with his third ball though and Jordan Cox mullers over midwicket with real brutality. Ten off the over, England need 34 from 42 balls.
12th over: England 111-3 (Cox 41, Banton 16) Matthew Humphreys has bowled really nicely for Ireland today, he’s given it some air, found some drift and turn. He’s just 22 years of age despite sporting the ‘tache of a man twice his age. Not jealous at all, honest. He finishes with 0-25 from his four overs. Tidy.
11th over: England 109-3 (Cox 40, Banton 15) Banton chops White past third for four and then repeats the shot even finer later in the over to pick up a second boundary. England coasting this run chase in the Irish sunshine.
10th over: England 99-3 (Cox 40, Banton 5) Tom Banton is the new batter and he starts with a delightful drive down the ground for four! Just a push but it skimmed away to the fence. A single brings Cox on strike and he beats a diving Adair at backward point to get four more.
WICKET! Phil Salt c †Tucker b Campher 29 (England 90-3)
Campher replaces white but starts scruffily, a wide flung outside the off-stump tramlines. That’ll do though, full and straight, Salt wafts and gets a nick through to Tucker!
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9th over: England 89-2 (Salt 29, Cox 36) Campher gifts Salt a four by mis-fielding tamely on the deep cover fence. Hero to zero for the diving catch snaffler. Humphreys impressive again, tight lines and England can only find singles. England need a run a ball from here – 66 off 66 is the equation. Ireland need wickets pronto.
8th over: England 79-2 (Salt 22, Cox 34) Legspinner Ben White is summoned, he drags his first ball down and it beats everyone, Cox’s cross bat hoick and Tucker behind the stumps, four byes to England. Cox doesn’t miss out on another short ball, he rocks back and blasts a SIX over midwicket. He was on that in a flash. Cox is moving a little gingerly, he’s been grabbing his knee a little, but is dealing almost exclusively in boundaries so far. White oversteps and is lapped for four by Salt, the free hit is tossed wide and driven for a single by Salt. Costly over, nineteen off it.
7th over: England 60-2 (Salt 17, Cox 25) Humphreys returns with his left-arm tweakers. A single each from Cox and Salt. Cox is beaten all ends up by one that turns, the ball hits him on the pad bang in front of middle but a tickle off the edge of his blade saves him! Lucky lad. Top over from Humphreys, just three off it and very nearly Jordan Cox back in the hutch. Dare I say it, a moral victory for the bowler.
6th over: England 57-2 (Salt 16, Cox 23) Curtis Campher into the attack, no doubt riding high after that magnificent catch. But back down to earth as Cox brings up England’s fifty with a slash through point. SIX! Do not bowl short to this man, Cox sees it so early and swats behind square for another big one. Fourteen off the over.
5th over: England 43-2 (Salt 15, Cox 10) Jordan Cox is the new batter, Young goes short and is swatted away for SIX! They might need a new ball as that has gone over the stand and rolled away into the distance. Cox then shows a deft touch by guiding away past point for four.
WICKET! Jacob Bethell c Delany b Young 15 (England 33-2)
Another brilliant grab! Bethell holes out, slapping a flat pull off Young to deep square where Gareth Delany takes a wonderful catch diving forward. Game on!
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4th over: England 33-1 (Salt 15, Bethell 15) Jacob Bethell has the most attractive pull in the game, there I said it. He dispatches Barry McCarthy for four in front of square and then charges the bowler and scythes a Lara-esque cover drive for four more.
3rd over: England 23-1 (Salt 14, Bethell 6) Stirling has seen it seaming about and turns to Craig Young. Matt Humphreys just getting the one over to begin with. Shot! Bethell pulls Young for four through midwicket. Salt then calls Bethell through for a crazy single that would have seen England’s skipper run out at the non -striker’s end if Lorcan Tucker’s throw from behind the stumps was on target. England a bit edgy at the start of this chase, largely thanks to Irish pressure.
2nd over: England 13-1 (Salt 11, Bethell 0) Jacob Bethell is in early at first drop. McCarthy jags one into his thigh pad and the Ireland fielders buzz about. Stirling is in at slip, McCarthy goes full and is driven by Bethell only for Harry Tector to pull off a diving stop at mid off. The home side are up for this!
WICKET! Jos Buttler c Campher b McCarthy 0 (England 10-1)
Barry McCarthy bustles in from the other end and shapes his first ball back into Buttler. WHAT A CATCH! Curtis Campher has just plucked a diving catch a millimetre above the turf at cover from a Jos Buttler exocet drive. That is a remarkable grab. Buttler has to go, and he can’t quite believe it.
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1st over: England 10-0 (Salt 10, Buttler 0) Sharp turn for Humphreys! He gets one to grip off the pitch and then slides one on straight to Phil Salt. After three dots Salt has had enough and launches a full ball over cover for SIX. Salt then clips for two into the leg side and cracks off the back foot for two more into the off. Ten from the first over for England.
Here come the players! Phil Salt and Jos Buttler stride out to the middle under sunny skies. Slow left armer Matthew Humphreys is going to start with the ball for Ireland. Play!
This is all so sad:
Right, the latest shower has passed and I’m hearing we’ll be underway at 4.10pm*.
*Don’t hold me to that.
Bad news! As soon as posted that the rain started again. Silliness.
Tedious dampness warning #IrevEng pic.twitter.com/ZlqURbRlsN
— Andrew Miller (@miller_cricket) September 21, 2025
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Good news! The sun is back out in Malahide and the covers are being hauled off as we speak. The official restart time is 3.50pm – just under ten minutes time.
There’s a bit of rain around in Malahide, hopefully just a passing shower but the covers are on at moment. You’ve time to make a cuppa I should think. We have an update on Jordan Cox too, good news, he’ll be fit to bat, having jarred something whilst taking a catch in the deep.
Ireland set us 155 to chase 💪
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 21, 2025
Come on England! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oAVieCMRpu
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Ireland make 154-8
Sonny Baker is given the last over by Bethell. Can the bowler turn his day around? Not really. Delany gives Ireland something to defend as he boshes down the ground for four and then carves over point for a second boundary off the over. He finishes on 48* and Sonny Baker has another chastening day, finishing with 0-52 off his four overs. He’ll be better for the experience, but it will still hurt.
19th over: Ireland 144-8 (Delany 38, Young 0)Jamie Overton replaces the beleaguered Baker. Four dot balls in a row are not what Ireland ordered. Delany chips for two and then keeps strike for the last over with a single off the last
18th over: Ireland 141-8 (Delany 35, Young 0) Craig Young comes to the crease and passes Jordan Cox on the way off, the Essex man seems to have done himself a mischief of sorts in taking that catch. He’s had rotten luck with injuries stifling his international prospects, let’s hope it isn’t anything serious. One to keep an eye on.
WICKET! Matthew Humphreys c Cox b Rashid 7 (Ireland 141-8)
Rashid returns and misses out on his hat-trick but does apply the brakes for England… until Humphreys pulls off a reverse-sweep for four to pick up his first boundary. The batter tries a slog sweep next ball but finds Cox on the fence who has safe hands once more.
17th over: Ireland 132-7 (Delany 31, Humphreys 2) My days. Poor Sonny Baker. The young seamer is once again carted around an international cricket ground. Delany pings him through the covers for four and then launches CONSECUTIVE SIXES over the leg side! Gareth Delany is keeping Ireland in the contest! Baker responds with a decent yorker, he has 0-42 from his three overs.
16th over: Ireland 114-7 (Delany 14, Humphreys 1) Gareth Delany gets hold of Luke Wood! A short ball is larrupped over cow corner for SIX and then late, soft hands from the batter sees four more run down past backward point. Twelve off the over, a sting in the tale for the Irish?
15th over: Ireland 102-7 (Delany 1, Humphreys 0) Rashid will be on a hat-trick with the first ball of his next over, the home side in danger of capitulating here. Matt Humphreys is the new batter, Luke Wood is going to bowl the next.
WICKET! Barry McCarthy lbw b Rashid 0 (Ireland 102-7)
Rashid gets two in two! Slides one onto McCarthy’s pad and the wicket is upheld on review!
WICKET! Ben Calitz c Bethell b Rashid 22 (Ireland 102-6)
Debutant Ben Calitz slog sweeps Adil Rashid over the temporary stands at Malahide, a big hit sails away on the breeze. Calitz enjoyed that one… so much so that he tries it again and is caught by captain Bethell in the deep.
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14th over: Ireland 93-5 (Calitz 15, Delany 1)Gareth Delany is the new batter, he’s off the mark with a glide to point. You’d think Ireland need at least another fifty runs to make a game of this.
WICKET! Harry Tector c Rashid b Dawson 28 (Ireland 90-5)
Tector falls! The reverse-sweep to Dawson results in a top edge and a simple catch to Rashid in the ring. Trouble for the home side…
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13th over: Ireland 89-4 (Tector 28, Calitz 13) Overton returns and pins Tector on the shoulder with a short ball, slight tennis ball bounce on that one as Overton rolls his fingers over the seam. The batters then complete a harum scarum single as Tector calls Calitz through for a very tight run, Overton’s throw missed the stumps as he collected in his follow through. Would’ve been a close one!
12th over: Ireland 84-4 (Tector 26, Calitz 11) Harry Tector comes to life against Rehan Ahmed! Rocking back to pierce the off side boundary and then hitting the googly long over the leg side for SIX!
11th over: Ireland 70-4 (Tector 14, Calitz 9) Ben Calitz picks up his first boundary in international cricket by flogging Rashid through the leg side. Eight off the over as Ireland look to re-build.
10th over: Ireland 62-4 (Tector 13, Calitz 2) Ireland in all sorts in Malahide. Debutant Ben Calitz is the new man, he swishes to midwicket to get off the mark. Rehan Ahmed skips through his over in no time and only goes for four singles.
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WICKET! Curtis Campher c Banton b Overton 2 (Ireland 58-4)
Curtis Campher is the new batter, he’ll be looking to give it some humpty… gah he hacks Overton to Tom Banton at long on! Another one gone, another one bites the dust!
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WICKET! Lorcan Tucker c Wood b Overton 1 (Ireland 56-3)
Tucker slaps Overton straight to Luke Wood on the square leg fence, the seamer unleashes the full wattage of his smile after juggling the catch and clinging on at the third attempt. Ireland losing a little momentum at the moment.
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8th over: Ireland 55-2 (Tector 10, Tucker 1) Rashid defeats Tector with dip and rip. Drop! Dawson shells a diving catch at backward point as Tector looks to flash away on the back foot. Decent attempt by Dawson, would’ve been a stonking catch. Alas. Rashid’s first over is indeed a masterclass, just three off it.
7th over: Ireland 52-2 (Tector 8, Tucker 0) Lorcan Tucker is the new man. Rehan joins the dots with the last three balls of the over. Bethell is turning to spin at both ends, Adil Rashid is going to unleash his genius at the other end.
WICKET! Ross Adair c Cox b Rehan Ahmed 33 (Ireland 52-2)
Rehan strikes! Tector launches the leggie’s first ball back past hime for a scudding four but Ahmed has the last laugh by removing the danger man! A slog sweep didn’t clear Jordan Cox in the deep and there’s an English sigh of relief in Malahide, Adair is on his way after an enterprising cameo.
6th over: Ireland 46-1 (Adair 33, Tector 3) Jamie Overton into the attack, Adair reaches a wide-ish first ball and the top edge flies over point and away for four. A wide and two singles follow as England peg Ireland back a little. Rehan Ahmed is going to have a bowl next…
5th over: Ireland 39-1 (Adair 28, Tector 2) Luke Wood changes ends and bustles through a tidy over, just three singles off it.
4th over: Ireland 36-1 (Adair 26, Tector 1) Harry Tector is in at first drop for Ireland. Name straight out of a Le Carre novel, he is a very decent player. He’s off the mark with a prod into the off side… Adair carries on regardless and clubs Dawson over cover for another boundary. England need to get Adair out, he’s in the mood and is extremely dangerous with it.
WICKET! Paul Stirling c †Buttler b Dawson 7 (Ireland 30-1)
Liam Dawson enters the attack and he strikes with his second ball! Stirling rocks back to flay through the off-side and gets a thin feather through to Joss Buttler behind the stumps. The umpire said not out but England were convinced and the DRS proved why.
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3rd over: Ireland 30-0 (Striling 7, Adair 21) The outfield is very slow but there’s one way to deal with it, take it out of the equation altogether! Adair slams high and long down the ground for SIX and then drives a full ball from Baker back past him with a whipcrack of the bat. Four more! Baker is getting some tap again in and England shirt – Adair backs to leg and lofts him away for a one bounce four over cover. Sixteen off the over, blistering start for Ireland!
2nd over: Ireland 14-0 (Striling 7, Adair 5) Luke Wood opening up from t’other end, his first ball gives Stirling too much width and he doesn’t miss out, flaying over cover for four! Wood decks a few in and sends down a sharp short ball, there’s just a leg bye and a tucked to leg single to Adair off it.
1st over: Ireland 8-0 (Striling 3, Adair 4) Baker tempts Stirling to play and miss with his first ball and hoops one into his middle with the next, that’ll settle the nerves a little, though he follows up with a leg-side wide. Stirling then opens the shoulders and slaps into the off side but the outfield is lush and a bit sluggish, they pick up three with Phil Salt doing fine work on the boundary. Baker darts one back that misses the off stump by a gnat’s eyebrow but the final ball is clubbed away for four by Adair. Eventful first over and the packed crowd loving it.
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Righto, Sonny Baker has the new ball in his hand. Deep breaths son. The splendidly ursine Paul Stirling is on strike, Ross Adair is his opening partner. Let’s play!
Anyone here able to help Troy in Indiana out?
“Dear Jim: Do you mind asking the following?
Does anyone know where this streaming in the U.S.? It is not on Willow or ESPN (usual places)… Also: is BBC sports carrying this and is it available for overseas listeners?”
There’s frozen oranges in the trees, in Indiana. In Indiana.
Get to know Jordan Cox:
The sun is indeed beating down in Malahide, the word is they will use the same pitch from the first game so a slightly worn surface for the batters and potentially something for the bowlers to work with. The players are assembling – we’ll be underway in about seven minutes.
Those teams in full:
Ireland: 1 Paul Stirling (c), 2 Ross Adair, 3 Harry Tector, 4 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 5 Curtis Campher, 6 Ben Calitz, 7 Gareth Delany, 8 Barry McCarthy, 9 Matthew Humphreys, 10 Craig Young, 11 Ben White
England: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell (c), 4 Jordan Cox, 5 Rehan Ahmed, 6 Tom Banton, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Luke Wood, 11 Sonny Baker
England to bowl first!
Jacob Bethell calls the coin correctly and England are going to have a bowl first in Malahide. Sonny Baker is indeed given his T20I debut so we’ll see him in action very soon. Jordan Cox comes in for Sam Curran who has headed home for an undisclosed personal reason, we wish him well.
For Ireland – all rounder Ben Calitz is also handed a bayboo and leggie Ben White is given the nod too, George Dockrell and Graham Hume miss out.
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to the third and final T20 International between Ireland and England from Malahide. Good news – the sun is shining! A glorious day in Ireland should see us get a full match in after Friday’s washout.
The word is we should be seeing Sonny Baker given his T20I debut, he seems to be a thoroughly well rounded young man and there’s no doubt he is incredibly talented, but, I’m sure he and everyone else in the England set up are hoping it goes a darn sight better than his ODI debut against South Africa a week or so ago when he chalked up the most expensive bowling figures for and England ODI debutant.
Taha Hashim spoke to young Sonny about it all the other day:
“All of the guys after were like: ‘Mate, defending 130, come on: unless we got five [wickets] in the powerplay, we were never really in it,’” says Baker. “Up the hill at Headingley can be tough sometimes. Markram fancied a piece and got a few away and he’s a very, very good player.
“We had to have really aggressive fields and then anytime the ball beats anyone inside the ring in the off-side, it’s four. From a figures point of view, it was not exactly how I’d planned my debut going, but not all good experiences are enjoyable experiences.
“At the time, I was thinking: ‘Fifteen an over for my first three or four overs is not what I had in mind.’ But in the long run, it’ll be a good thing.”
Baker is an upbeat character and likes to keep notes on his bowling plans, listing down ground dimensions, different grips, analysis on batters. “I try to be objective when I’m doing reviews and I don’t mind being detail-oriented,” he says. “[Harry Brook] was chatting to me after that and said: ‘What did you write down in your notebook after that game?’ I just said: ‘Shit happens.’
The game starts at 13:30pm, I’ll be back with the teams and the result of the toss very shortly.
