England suffer T20 World Cup setback after defeat to Ireland on DLS; Jos Buttler's side five runs below par score of 110 when rain ended match 14.3 overs into chase of 158; England face crunch clash against Australia at MCG on Friday (9am UK time)
Wednesday 26 October 2022 18:06, UK
Ireland earned another famous World Cup win over England with a rain-affected five-run victory over Jos Buttler's off-colour side at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Eleven years on from their three-wicket win over England at the 50-over World Cup in India, Ireland beat their rivals again in the T20 version after rain thwarted their opponents' timid chase of 158.
England were 105-5 after 14.3 overs, five runs below the DLS par score of 110, when the rain that had caused delays earlier in the game returned and did not relent in time for the match to resume.
Moeen Ali (24no off 12) got himself going with three fours and a six after his team had limped to 29-3 in the powerplay and then 86-5 in the 14th over, but weather had the final say as Ireland secured a notable victory and dented England's title hopes.
England now face a blockbuster clash - a virtual eliminator - with hosts and defending champions Australia at the same venue on Friday (9am UK time) immediately after Ireland play Afghanistan (5am UK time).
Buttler's men will want a much-improved performance against Australia, with their bowling loose for the first 10 overs of the Ireland innings and their batting laboured until Moeen's late flurry.
England looked favourites at the halfway stage with Ireland having collapsed from a promising 103-1 in the 12th over - underpinned by skipper Andrew Balbirnie (62) and Lorcan Tucker (34) adding 82 from 57 balls for the second wicket - to 157 all out in 19.2 overs after losing their last nine wickets for just 54 runs; spinner Liam Livingstone (3-17) and seamer Mark Wood (3-34) sharing six wickets.
However, Ireland put a full bowling performance together as England slumped in the chase.
Skipper Buttler (0) snicked Josh Little behind second ball before the same bowler had Alex Hales (7) caught on the leg-side and Fionn Hand then bowled Ben Stokes (6) with a beauty of a nip-backer.
Dawid Malan (35 off 37) and Harry Brook (18 off 21) were the other players dismissed as England suffered a World Cup setback following their opening win over Afghanistan in Perth and Ireland bounced back in style from defeat to Sri Lanka in Hobart on Sunday.
Wednesday's second game at the MCG - New Zealand vs Afghanistan - was abandoned without a ball bowled due to the rain, leaving the points shared and the Black Caps top of the Group 1 table on three points after two rounds of matches.
Sri Lanka are second, ahead of England, Ireland and Australia on net-run rate, with Afghanistan at the foot of the group on one point.
There was a damp start at the MCG with rain leading to the match starting 20 minutes later than planned and then causing another similar-length delay after 1.3 overs of Ireland's knock.
Wood's rapid delivery removed Paul Stirling (14) in the third over - Ireland 21-1 as the opener slashed to Sam Curran at deep third - but it was nine overs before England struck again as Balbirnie and Tucker latched onto a number of wayward deliveries.
Highlights included Tucker scooping the expensive Chris Woakes (0-41 from three overs) for four over fine leg and dispatching Curran for a glorious six over mid-on, plus Balbirnie slamming Woakes for four and six in an 18-run 10th over as Ireland reached 92-1 at halfway.
Tucker's unfortunate run out backing up - the Ireland No 3 sent packing as Adil Rashid leapt to his right and tipped a Balbirnie drive onto the non-striker's stumps - proved a turning point, with Harry Tector (0) nicking another express delivery from Wood behind to Buttler two balls later.
Balbirnie added 29 for the fourth wicket with Curtis Campher (18 off 11), during which time he clinched a 40-ball fifty and crunched Curran for an enormous leg-side six, but when he swept Livingstone to Hales at deep square in the 16th over, Ireland went on to lose 7-25.
Livingstone yorked George Dockrell (0) next delivery before going on to have Adair (4) caught by Curran at midwicket in the 18th over, while Wood had Campher caught down the leg-side one ball after being ramped over fine leg for four by the Ireland all-rounder.
Curran and Stokes then mopped up the tail - Curran bowling Barry McCarthy and Hand in the penultimate over to move on to seven wickets for the tournament after his five-for in the five-wicket victory over Afghanistan.
The wickets continued to tumble as England replied, with Little having Buttler caught behind and Hales pouched at short fine leg before Stokes was bowled by a superb delivery from Hand, who had come into the Ireland side in place of spinner Simi Singh.
Ireland spurned two chances for a fourth wicket in Dockrell's 11th over, with Brook shelled at long-on by Adair and Malan spilled at cover by Gareth Delany one ball later, only for Delany to atone by snaffling Brook at deep midwicket and Malan to spoon McCarthy to Hand in the deep at the start of the 14th over.
Then, with Moeen threatening to take England close, the game was stopped again and with it not able to resume by the cut-off of 8.56am UK time, Ireland's celebrations began.
England's blockbuster clash with Australia is at the MCG on Friday (9am UK time), straight after Ireland face Afghanistan at the same venue (5am UK time).
