Josh Tongue (5-66) celebrates call up to England Ashes squad with debut five-for; Ireland overhaul England's 352-run first-innings lead as Mark Adair (88) and Andy McBrine (86no) share superb 163-run stand; Zak Crawley knocks off required 11 runs in four balls for 10-wicket win
Sunday 4 June 2023 09:54, UK
England wrapped up a 10-wicket win over Ireland in their one-off Test at Lord's, but not before a stunning 163-run partnership by lower-order batters Mark Adair and Andy McBrine hugely frustrated the hosts.
Adair tonked a maiden Test fifty, a remarkable 88 off 76 balls containing 12 boundaries and two sixes, while McBrine played beautifully before being left stranded on 86 not out as Ireland were finally bowled out for 362, earning a 10-run lead.
Josh Tongue (5-66) celebrated his call up to England's Ashes squad by claiming a maiden Test five-for on debut, the ninth player to do so at Lord's and first since Graham Onions in 2009.
Tongue secured his spot on the honours board by picking up Fionn Hand (7) shortly after Matthew Potts (1-77) broke Adair and McBrine's stand, the former feathering an attempted upper-cut over the slips through to Jonny Bairstow.
The biggest cheer of the day, however, was reserved for a pair of Graham Hume boundaries off consecutive deliveries that earned Ireland a lead and ensured England would have to bat again.
Stuart Broad (1-62) wrapped up the innings shortly after tea, bowling Hume (14) through the gate, and Zak Crawley ultimately knocked off the 11 required with three boundaries struck from just four balls faced.
But, having been bowled out for 172 on the first morning, Ireland will be thrilled by their efforts on the third day at Lord's, with few expecting the day's action to last beyond lunch as England eyed an emphatic innings victory.
Harry Tector (51) and Lorcan Tucker (44) first gave nod to the rearguard action that was to come, advancing their overnight partnership to 63, with Tucker the initial aggressor.
Tucker opened his boundary account by blazing Broad through the covers, before finding the fence three more times, with one off Potts bringing up the half-century stand.
Potts oh so nearly had his revenge, coming agonisingly close to claiming a return catch off a Tucker leading edge, only for the ball to not quite carry despite his despairing dive.
It was Jack Leach (1-90) who instead provided England's opening breakthrough of the morning, with Tucker dragging an attempted sweep onto his stumps.
The wickets wouldn't stem the flow of runs, however, as Tector stepped up and boshed Leach over mid-on to move into the 40s, while Curtis Campher was quickly motoring courtesy of a couple of mighty heaves to the boundary - including one off Joe Root which cleared the ropes.
Tector brought up a richly-deserved fourth Test fifty, but then fell to his very next ball, slapping a shorter one from Tongue straight to the fielder positioned at point.
Root (1-59) added Campher (19) in the next over, sweeping to short fine-leg, where England's captain Ben Stokes looked hobbled as he awkwardly claimed the catch. Worrying, with the Ashes just 13 days away.
The double-strike dropped Ireland to 162-6, still trailing by some 190 runs, and left England needing just three further wickets, with opener James McCollum on crutches and unable to resume his innings due to the injured ankle he sustained on the second evening.
But Adair and McBrine were in no mood to just hand England the win and instead made the most of ideal batting conditions in the sunshine, launching an impressive counter-attack either side of lunch.
The pair plundered 19 runs from Root's next over, as well as 15 in another later in his spell - Adair smiting the part-time spinner for two big sixes - as the fifty partnership came up on the stroke of the interval.
The break certainly didn't disrupt their rhythm, with the devastating display of hitting continuing upon the resumption, Adair bringing up a maiden Test fifty, off 47 balls, with a delicate upper-cut for four of Broad - the first of three consecutive boundaries bashed off the veteran seamer.
It would be the shot that would eventually bring his downfall, however, as he attempted it off a Potts bouncer when closing in on what would have been a remarkable century.
By that point, Ireland had heavily eaten into England's lead, with McBrine also breezing beyond fifty, though the scoring did drastically slow with the departure of Adair.
Tongue saw off fellow debutant Hand to again give hope to an innings win, with the tourists still trailing by 12 runs, but the Lord's crowd practically erupted with Hume's boundary salvo to ensure another innings - albeit if it ultimately lasted just four deliveries, thanks to Crawley.
England debutant Josh Tongue on maiden Test five-for...
"I am over the moon. A week ago I didn't know if I would be playing for Worcestershire or coming here.
"To get the call into the squad and then to play at Lord's was very special.
"Five wickets was a very special moment. I grew up wanting to play for England and when that came I was over the moon.
"My first wicket was a blur but hitting that line and length first ball and taking two wickets in my first over [in the second innings] took the pressure off."
[On Ashes squad selection]: "I found out I was in the squad last night. I didn't really expect to be in it, to be fair. It is very special for me and my family."
Former England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan on Sky Sports...
"One of the questions that is hovering over this team at the moment is when it does go flat, will it turn, and if it doesn't, you need somebody with a bit of pace or some point of difference.
"He [Tongue] definitely has a point of difference. He's a big, bustly guy that can get the ball to move, stick it under people's armpits, bowl to a short-ball plan and create opportunities when you need them.
"As a captain, you need to have cards up your sleeve in order to play them at various stages of the game.
"He has a genuine chance of playing in the Ashes, if the injuries continue to come. The fact that he's in the squad gives him the opportunity to continue to impress."
It's the small matter of The Ashes, exclusively live on Sky Sports.
The first Test gets under way at Edgbaston on Friday, June 16, as England look to regain the urn for the first time since 2015.
Australia gear up for that Ashes opener by first playing in the ICC World Test Championship final, taking on India a The Oval from Wednesday - live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am.
