It's a special win for the young guys involved - Andrew Balbirnie

After coming up short in the first two of the three-match ODI series, Ireland pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the third and last fixture to secure their first points in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup Super League. This massive shot in the arm for a side gunning for direct qualification to the 2023 World Cup was facilitated by a successful run chase in Southampton that evoked memories of their exceptional heist - against the same side - in Bangalore during the 2011 World Cup.

Intriguingly, Ireland were asked to chase something similar as that muggy night in Bangalore - 329 - though they went about it in a slightly contrasting manner. That day, when all hope had dwindled following a top-order collapse, Kevin O'Brien's individual brilliance stunned England. On Tuesday, the story was of a bit more stability from the top-order, as Paul Stirling (142 off 128) and captain Andrew Balbirnie (113) laid a solid foundation for the chase with a century each.

What also set Southampton win apart is the fact that a handful of youngsters - who are expected to form the core for the future Irish sides - have got a taste of such a special victory so early in their career.

"It's a huge win for this group. For young guys to be involved in a win like this is special and they'll remember it for forever. To be able to get up and running in the World Cricket League is great," Balbirnie said on the sidelines of his team's victory.

"It's up there. Very satisfying. It's huge for the sport. I don't know if it's sunk in. There's not been a lot of cricket in the country because of COVID. Hopefully, we've given the kids and the young generation a bit of a boost and something to strive towards," he said.

At the halfway stage, when Ireland were set a daunting target, they'd have worried about the recurring top-order pattern - of losing quick wickets - ending their chances in chase even before it really began. But the visitors shrugged off that form, courtesy the two centurions. And expectedly, it pleased the skipper.

"To be able to show and to be able to turn up today and put in a performance like that with the bat is very satisfying. I thought Paul was as good as I've seen him play. He set the tempo in the first PowerPlay," Balbirnie said.

The foundations of this victory for the ages were expertly laid down by the 214-run partnership for the second wicket between Stirling and Balbirnie - the second-highest partnership in ODIs for Ireland. It was the sort of alliance that worked the best for the out-of-sorts skipper, who arrived at the pitch at the fall of opener Gareth Delaney's wicket, with previous scores of 3 and 15 in the series. It worked for him that Stirling took the attack to the England bowlers and he was afforded time to bed in and complement him in the carnage in the best way possible.

"I love to bat with Paul. He's my favourite player to bat with. When he's in that kind of a mood, you go under the radar a bit and that suits me. I've been a bit frustrated with the way I've gone and the way I've been dismissed in the last two games so to get a 100 and contribute to a win as captain like that is so satisfying. It's a huge win for us as a group."

Despite the big partnership, Ireland still had their nervy moments on the way to the win as England sniffed a comeback when they dismissed both the set batsmen in the space of three overs. When Stirling was run out, Ireland had 264 for 2 on the board, still needing 65 off 50 deliveries. Interestingly, 20-year-old Harry Tector walked out to bat ahead of the man for such a situation - Kevin O'Brien.

"I spoke with Stirling and he was like why not throw in the young guy and let him experience it. We were in a good position and the way Harry has been playing, it's been exceptional. He'll gain so much from that," Balbirnie said. Tector kept his end of the bargain by remaining unbeaten and seeing off the win with a 26-ball 29 in the company of Kevin O'Brien.

"It was great to see the nick he [Stirling] was in. We kept up pretty intact till he got run out and I got bogged down a bit. There was a bit of a touchy stage. Harry [Tector] and Kevin nudged it around and put the bad balls away to settle the nerves. He [Stirling] is as good as a player in the world. We know how important he is for the team. The more knocks he can play like that, the better it is for Ireland," Balbirnie said.

Only late last year, Stirling committed his future to Ireland after bringing an end to a hugely successful 10-year stint with English county side Middlesex, right after ECB tweaked county rules such that players from Ireland would now be considered overseas players.

"He's a huge asset to Ireland. When he texted me to say that he wasn't going to continue with Middlesex and was going to stick with Ireland, I was delighted. He's such a good player, so many teams want him on their side, he brings the guys with him. Young guys ask him questions every day and he's willing to help. He's only 30 so hopefully he's got a lot more years in him and a lot more runs in the bank," Balbirnie said.

The series was squandered even before the teams took the field in Southampton, but Ireland will still return home with a sense of optimism about the future and their aim of earning direct qualification to the 2023 World Cup.

"I said before the series that qualifying automatically for the World Cup will be our greatest achievement. It's going to be so tough. We're going to play in tough conditions. It's a good start, it's good to get on the board. Coming away from here with no points would've been disappointing," Balbirnie said.