Salt Guides the English Team to First T20 Victory Over the Irish Side

Opening T20, Malahide

The hosts 196-3 (20 overs): Tector 61* (36), Lorcan Tucker 55 (36)

The visitors 197-6 (17.4 overs): Salt 89 (46)

England won by 4 wickets and top the series 1-0

The explosive opener again starred for England as they beat their opponents by four wickets in the first match of a three-match T20 series in Dublin.

Salt smashed eighty-nine off forty-six deliveries but fell just short of what would have been his second straight hundred when he was taken by an Irish fielder with the last ball of the fifteenth over.

By then, he had done most of the back of the chase for his team, who finished the job of chasing Ireland's 196-3 with more than two overs to remaining.

Playing without their senior players, England were captained by Jacob Bethell for the first time, with the youngster scoring 24 off sixteen balls before a tame swipe to the fielder just as he appeared to be going through the rhythm.

In what was their first international of any kind since a T20 victory over the Caribbean side on 15 June, the Irish team will have believed their score, which included half-centuries for both Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker, was a competitive one.

But just less than a week after their remarkable 304-2 against the Proteas on a historic night in Old Trafford, a much-changed side began their response in emphatic fashion before the hosts fought back for some consolation wickets.

This victory represented England's maiden victory over Ireland in the format in what was their second completed game, and the two sides will face off again at the same venue on Friday and Sunday.

As when Bethell became the most junior player to captain an England team, his initial decision as Harry Brook's temporary skipper was to successfully call the toss and put the opponents in to bat.

Amid all the build-up talk about the amount of cricket, or lack thereof, played by Ireland in the lead-up to this series, there will have been plenty of interest in how openers Paul Stirling and Adair fared.

While there were undoubtedly a few instances when the duo seemed to be searching for their rhythm in the early overs, they were 49 without loss at the end of the powerplay, with Stirling in particular providing some big hitting.

Of the skipper's quartet sixes, a couple were driven onto the roof of the pavilion at the compact ground in Malahide.

Following the solid start, the opening pair fell in rapid succession with Ross Adair caught on the rope by Phil Salt in the 8th over when attempting a sweep over the leg side off the bowling of Liam Dawson.

Nine deliveries and ten runs later, Stirling followed after swiping at the bowling of Rashid with Will Jacks taking the grab.

The arrivals of Tector and then Lorcan Tucker to the crease saw Ireland take an greater number of ones for the rest of their batting effort but Tector still struck seven fours and sixes in his unbeaten 61 from thirty-six balls.

The batsman, who reached his own half-century with a shot for a maximum, nearly batted to the end of the innings, only to edge the second-last delivery into the gloves of the wicketkeeper.

Without the availability of Adair and Little in their attack, it was the left-arm spin of Humphreys who started the Irish bowling against Salt in the English opener's initial innings since scoring a hundred off just 39 balls against the Proteas at Old Trafford last week.

The batting side rapidly set about pursuing their target of 197.

After Barry McCarthy and Hume could find no solution for the opposition's powerful batting, Young somewhat checked their fast progress in the fourth over, before the spinner's second spell saw Buttler sky one to Curtis Campher to fall for twenty-eight off ten balls.

Despite the loss of their first wicket, the team still finished the powerplay on 84-1 with the opener's half-century coming off just twenty deliveries.

Salt would escape being dismissed off a bowler's illegal delivery but continued to hit the host's bowlers to all corners of the ground.

Bethell's exit came after hitting a maximum over the makeshift stand before Delany marked his 100th Irish cap with the wicket of Ahmed.

Even after Hume took the dismissals of Sam Curran and the opener in the 15th over, the chasing side always looked on course for victory with Overton ultimately providing the decisive runs with 20 deliveries to spare.