Will Ireland match up to England in WCSL's opening tie?

Cricket in bio-secure bubbles seems the obvious way forward if international contests must go on. The England and Wales Cricket Board has set a spectacular precedent of cricket in a biosphere hosting the West Indies for three Tests behind closed doors. Social distancing, daily temperature checks, filing everyday health reports are now part of the new normal. What will also be part of the new normal hereafter in ODI cricket will be the Cricket World Cup Super League to determine participants for the 2023 Men's World Cup in India. The start that was delayed due to the ongoing pandemic will now kick-off on Thursday (July 30) as England take on Ireland in a three-match series.

The Irish squad has been training in Southampton for a week now, where all the three games are to be played. Given that Ireland's last series was against Afghanistan back in March, the two warm-up games leading into the series have given the players much-needed game-time. Ireland in their intra-squad game, however, faced the problem of their fielders failing to pick up the white ball against the backdrop of empty stands which are cream-colored. However, the youngsters in Ireland's squad got a good hit out, in particular Harry Tector, who scored a pair of fifties in Ireland's intra-squad practice match and their game against England Lions. He, along with Curtis Campher, is in line to make an ODI debut. Ireland, who had initially come with a squad of 22, will name 14-man teams on a match-by-match basis. Among the reserves are left-arm spinner George Dockrell and batsman Gary Wilson with the selectors opting to give the younger players a chance in the international fold first-up, with even Balbirnie reiterating the goal being towards building towards the mega event in 2023.

The upcoming ODI series will be England's first at home since the World Cup last year. With Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer missing out for having been involved in the Test series, it provides a golden opportunity for some of England's fringe players to make a push for a place in the XI. Sam Billings and David Willey make a return after having missed out on the World Cup, while Reece Topley is making a comeback after four years with a back injury keeping him out in recent times. Tom Banton and Saqib Mahmood keep their places after having faced South Africa at the beginning of the year.

The ODI series is also a chance for England's Test hopefuls like Jonny Bairstow and Joe Denly to push for a longer-format recall. Moeen Ali confirmed his availability after a break, but was overlooked for the West Indies series as Dom Bess was picked ahead of him. However, he was named vice-captain for the three-match series and if he hits his straps, could well be in line for a recall.

This series will also mark the change of the ICC deciding to leave the third umpire to monitor all front-foot no-balls in white-ball cricket. In matters just concerning the popping-crease or not, skipper Balbirnie acknowledged the need for Ireland's bowlers to be tidier if they are to beat England in their conditions after a rusty show in the practice games. And with England's batting running deep, they have a tough task on hand. Ireland have beaten England just once in the 10 ODIs they've played. If they are to take a cue from Scotland and stir an upset, they need to "ensure not to get overawed by the occasion."

When: Thursday July 30, 2020.

Where: The Rose Bowl, Southampton

What to expect: Southampton usually throws up some good batting wickets. And luckily for both sides, there's no rain forecast. With the firepower in the England squad, the Irish skipper rightly said the bowlers will need to be tidier if they are to tie England down. Else, it may just be a run-fest.

Team News

England: With the Test players not permitted out of the bio-secure bubble, the ODI side has a different look. Skipper Eoin Morgan will be without Buttler, Root, Stokes, Woakes, Archer and Wood. Bairstow and Roy will occupy top spots, while in the absence of the regulars, Tom Curran will more likely than not lead the pace attack.

Squad: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Joe Denly, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey

Ireland: Balbirnie on the eve of the game confirmed that Ireland will likely have a bowling all-rounder (Simi Singh) at 7. "Stirling and Delany haven't got enough overs under their belt yet. Playing an extra batter can be an option but at the moment, we're likely to get the bowling all-rounder in," he said. Mark Adair, Ireland's leading ODI wicket-taker in 2019, misses out after not being at full fitness following his ankle injury earlier in the year, but Ireland are hopeful of Paul Stirling being fit enough to make the XI after missing the intra-squad game with a calf niggle.

Squad: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Paul Stirling, 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

What they said:

"The standard and skill level that has been produced since guys have come together has been exceptional. It's been way above the standard that I expected given the time we had off. Certainly, the two guys were unlucky to miss out along with others. I think we're blessed with a high calibre group of top-order batters, not only in the first XI but also sitting in the wings. Even the guys that will play this series, and the guys that are left out, will probably need some injuries to get call-ups." - Eoin Morgan

"It's obviously about World Cup qualification. This Super League is our chance to get in there. As I said earlier, it'll be this team's greatest achievement if we manage to qualify for the World Cup. That's the foremost aim. We've got a lot of tough cricket to play. For now, we have these three games which we didn't think we would have. So, we've got to enjoy ourselves." - Andy Balbirnie, Ireland's captain.