Eoin Morgan said Ireland upsetting England at the T20 World Cup is one of their greatest results considering the strength of the opposition, with winning captain Andrew Balbirnie reflecting on a “special” victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Ireland secured a five-run win over Jos Buttler’s side on DLS after their rivals were left stuck on 105-5 from 14.3 overs – five runs behind the par score of 110 – when rain ended their chase of 158.
Andrew Balbirnie’s men were ruthless with the ball as they reduced England to 29-3 in the powerplay and 86-5 in the 14th over, bouncing back from losing their last nine wickets for 54 runs to slip from 103-1 to 157 all out after being asked to bat first.
Josh Little (2-16) dismissed openers Buttler (0) and Alex Hales (7), while fellow seamer Fionn Hand (1-17) bowled Ben Stokes (6) with a wonderful delivery en route to helping Ireland to a first T20 win over England and third in all white-ball cricket – 11 years after their famous three-wicket victory in the 50-over World Cup in India.
George Dockrell celebrates the wicket of Harry Brook during Wednesday’s match in Melbourne
Former England captain and Ireland batter Morgan told Sky Sports: “You take a look back at the upsets in Ireland’s cricketing history and this is right up there. They will be extremely proud of what they have achieved and will look back on this for years to come.
“The England team they were playing against is one of the most talented and versatile England teams they have ever put out so it is a hugely significant win.
‘Ireland sensed an opportunity and delivered’
“They have completely out-batted and out-bowled England. They were brilliant on a huge occasion and sensing opportunity, they delivered.
“You can talk about the two points from this game but beating England tells a bigger story in the grand scheme of things for young Irish cricketers.”
Ireland captain Balbirnie (62) and Lorcan Tucker (34) shared a quick-fire second wicket stand of 82 from 57 balls in Melbourne, punishing anything short and wide the England bowlers offered up.
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Sky Sports’ Michael Atherton reflects on a famous victory for Ireland and where England let the game slip
Morgan added: “Ireland came in with a really strong plan, particularly with the bat. When England strayed with width or length, they were proactive enough to take advantage and seemed to target the off-side as much as they could.
“Mark Wood mentioned at half-time that it was greasy underfoot, but I don’t think that was a good enough reason to bowl as badly as England did.
“When there is more on offer, you need to do less and focus on execution, very similarly to how Ireland bowled in the powerplay.
“Ireland were very disciplined, continued to bowl full, continued to get the ball moving and therefore created opportunities. They were cool and calm in the powerplay.”
‘Hopefully Ireland have more days like this’
Ireland thrashed West Indies in Hobart last week to reach round two of the T20 World Cup for the first time since 2009 but then began their Super 12 campaign with nine-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka at the same venue.
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It was a stunning performance by Ireland as they seized victory in the ICC T20 World Cup against England
Balbirnie’s team bounced back in style, though, and may now have eyes on pushing for the semi-finals, a dream that would be boosted if they beat Afghanistan at the MCG on Friday (5am UK time).
“It’s amazing and it’s kind of emotional because we’ve never played a game of cricket here [at the MCG],” Balbirnie said.
“To come and play the tournament favourites with so many big names and put on a show in front of friends, family and a number of people around the world is very satisfying.
“To do this at one of the most amazing cricket grounds in the world was pretty special. We are trying to make this game a bigger sport in our country and days like this will help. Hopefully we have a few more in the future.
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Fionn Hand delivered a beautiful ball to dismiss Ben Stokes in the T20 World Cup game between Ireland and England
“A few of our fans have extended their trip and spent a bit of money. They are so passionate about the game.
“We were slightly disappointed we finished the way we did [with the bat]. England took the momentum in with them, so our message was to try and create chances because we know how this England team like to play. If we took every chance we got, we were in with a shout.
“We managed to ride our luck a bit, take a few wounds and move forward. We were able to get a competitive total and a winning total.”
Watch Ireland’s next T20 World Cup game, against Afghanistan, live on Sky Sports Cricket on Friday. Build-up begins at 4.30am ahead of a 5am start at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
