Last Updated on 2 years by Charbel Coorey

ENG vs IRE 1st ODI Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | ENG vs IRE 1st ODI Dream11 Prediction Today | England vs Ireland 1st ODI Dream11 | ENG vs IRE 1st ODI Key Players | Southampton Pitch Report

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Cricket post the enforced COVID-19 break is certainly something different. The first dose of ODI cricket since March is sandwiched between two Test series, where split squads, often spoken about hypothetically for discussion purposes on social media, is now reality. To add to that, the ODI World Cup Super League is about to begin.

England, the world champions, wouldn’t have expected that their first ODI at home since the World Cup triumph would be quite like this. New faces, no crowds and a series fighting for attention right in between two Test campaigns is an agenda no one could have possibly imagined a year ago. However, skipper Eoin Morgan is at the helm, and there are still some familiar faces in what remains an exciting squad.

For Ireland, this series is a welcome boost given that their cricket season has been postponed due to the pandemic. While they will have hope in the fact that England will be without familiar faces, a significant challenge still awaits as they look to compete against the world’s number one ODI side. So, can Ireland, led by Andy Balbirnie, compete?

Also read: Twitter reactions to Stuart Broad reaching 500 Test wickets

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• Eyes will be on Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow – a prolific opening pair. They have over 1,000 runs in partnership together, at an average of over 60.
• Also, Roy and Bairstow are prolific at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. Roy has 332 runs in seven ODIs at avg. 55.33; Bairstow has 237 runs in three matches at avg. 118.50. Bairstow was also superb in the recent tour match, scoring 127 (88).
• Eoin Morgan has a superb record against Ireland, the country of his birth: 5 matches, 269 runs, avg. 67.25, SR 101.51.
• Also, Morgan loves batting at the Ageas Bowl: 14 matches, 610 runs, avg. 76.25, SR 91.25. He has the most ODI runs of any player at the ground.
• Harry Tector: Key for Ireland if he debuts? He has 20 T20I caps at the age of 20, and has scored half-centuries in each of his last three List A matches.
• William Porterfield has the most runs in England-Ireland ODIs: 281 runs, avg. 31.22, SR 64.15, 1 50, 1 100.
• Ireland skipper Andy Balbirnie will be crucial for his team. He has been strong in ODIs since the beginning of 2018: 30 matches, 1,153 runs, avg. 41.18, SR 79.79.
• Tom Banton scored 56 in the second England intra-squad warm up. His T20 strike rate of 157.33 in 30 matches makes him a dangerous proposition.
• Moeen Ali will be one to watch. His ball-striking in South Africa earlier this year was something to behold, striking at 272.22 in the T20I series.
• Simi Singh was excellent with the ball in West Indies earlier this year (six wickets in three ODIs, avg. 20.16). On what could be slowish pitches in England, Singh will have a key role to play.
• Josh Little took 4/45 vs England in an ODI last year.
• Adil Rashid has the most wickets in England-Ireland ODIs of any current player (eight wickets, avg. 17.25). Also, Rashid was player of the match in England’s last ODI.
• Can Tom Curran produce in the powerplay and death overs? He has proven to be a strong wicket-taker in limited-overs cricket, including finishing third for wickets in the last Big Bash League.

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-Head: 10 Matches, England 8, Ireland 1, NR 1
• Ireland’s only win vs England was the all-time classic in the 2011 World Cup. Kevin O’Brien hit a memorable century. However, now, can improve on his average of 26.55 vs England?
• In five completed ODIs at Southampton in 2019, the average first innings score was 259.6. The team batting first won three of the five matches.

Also read: IPL fan? Check out CricBlog’s IPL jersey hub here

Possible Playing 11

There are new faces in the 14-man England squad, but they can still form a strong XI thanks to a solid core comprising of the likes of Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali.

• Tom Banton batted at five in the ODI series in South Africa earlier this year, so it would make sense for him to get another chance there.
• James Vince got the nod, and will likely bat at three. Also, it remains to be seen if England play Sam Billings as the keeper-batsman, or give the gloves to Jonny Bairstow.
• Reece Topley, Lewis Gregory and Richard Gleeson are part of a pace brigade in the squad and will be aiming for an appearance during the series.

England: 1. Jason Roy, 2. Jonny Bairstow, 3. James Vince, 4. Eoin Morgan (c), 5. Tom Banton, 6. Sam Billings (wk), 7. Moeen Ali, 8. Tom Curran, 9. David Willey, 10. Adil Rashid, 11. Saqib Mahmood

Ireland have named their 14-man squad. Their last ODI was in January vs West Indies, part of a three-match series where they should have won the second match. They should look to go with experience where they can, but all-rounder Curtis Campher and batsman Harry Tector could be in line for an ODI debut.

Ireland: 1. Paul Stirling, 2. Gareth Delany, 3. Andy Balbirnie (capt), 4. Harry Tector/William Porterfield, 5. Kevin O’Brien, 6. Lorcan Tucker (wk), 7. Simi Singh, 8. Curtis Campher, 9. Andy McBrine, 10 .Barry McCarthy, 11. Josh Little/Boyd Rankin

Ageas Bowl Southampton Pitch Report and Conditions

ODI pitches in England have usually been excellent for batting since 2015. This track should be quite easy-paced, as was the case in the recent England-West Indies Test.

The weather forecast for Thursday is quite good – mostly sunny.

Dream11 Prediction

Looking for more fantasy cricket tips for this match? Check out our special article here.

Option 1 (if England bat first):

Option 2 (if Ireland bat first):

Also read: IPL fan? Check out CricBlog’s IPL jersey hub here

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Match Prediction

England, despite missing key players such as Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer, still look a strong ODI side. They are a good pick for a win in the 1st ODI against Ireland.

Thanks for reading!

Also read: Twitter reactions to Stuart Broad reaching 500 Test wickets