England Test team. (Photo Source: Twitter/ECB)
Ahead of the all-important Ashes 2023, England will be hosting Ireland for a one-off Test match, starting June 1 at Lord’s in London. Ahead of the four-day Test match, the home team suffered a massive blow as ace pacer Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the summer.
On the other hand, Ollie Robinson and veteran pacer James Anderson are reportedly recovering from their respective injuries but are expected to be available for the series.
However, the Ben Stokes-led side might bench Anderson in order to keep him ready and fresh for the marquee series against Australia. The skipper himself was dealing with an injury in the ongoing IPL 2023 and thus, the focus will be on him as well on how he fares in the longest format of the game.
On the other hand, explosive batter Jonny Bairstow is set to make his return to the playing XI. The stumper-batter suffered a horrific injury while playing golf in September 2022 and since then, the 33-year-old has played only four domestic matches and done well. However, international cricket is a different ball game altogether and it will be interesting to see how he performs, especially ahead of the Ashes.
Coming to Ireland, the Andy Balbirne-led side recently lost to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the longest format. In order to challenge England, the side will not just have to bat better but will have to be excellent with the ball as the Three Lions will come hard on them. The team will be under tremendous pressure but will have to calm its nerves in order to play better cricket.
ENG vs IRE: Squads
England:
Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Ireland:
Andy Balbirne (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Thomas Mayes, Andy McBrine, James McCollum, Peter Moor, Conor Olphert, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Blair Tickner, Craig Young
ENG vs IRE: Schedule
The one-off Test will begin on June 1 at Lord’s.
ENG vs IRE: Broadcast Details
TV – Sony Sports Network
Live streaming – SonyLiv app