Toss England chose to bowl vs Ireland
England won the toss and chose to bowl under overcast skies in their one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s.
Josh Tongue, the Worcestershire seamer originally drafted into the squad as injury cover, was presented with England cap No. 711 by James Anderson, whose Ashes preparations are being carefully managed along with those of Ollie Robinson after the duo recently suffered groin and ankle issues respectively.
Jonny Bairstow makes his return to international cricket after nine months, having recovered from a horrific leg fracture sustained in a freak fall while playing golf. His stellar performance during 2022 was a hallmark of England’s Bazball resurgence.
Ben Stokes, England’s captain, said: “It looks pretty good conditions to bowl in, we’re looking forward to getting out there as a group. I’m excited to see him [Tongue] go out and see what he’s got to offer, he’s obviously a good enough player to be here in the first place. It’s a great opportunity for us to see him.”
Ireland, playing just their seventh Test, have handed a debut to Fionn Hand as their third seam bowler, with Craig Young missing out. Hand, 24, played a key role in Ireland’s T20 World Cup victory over England in Melbourne last year, claiming Stokes’ wicket with a fine delivery that bowled him through the gate.
The last time these sides played a Test at this ground, the hosts received a scare, bowled out for 85 in the first innings before running through Ireland for just 38 in the fourth innings to win by 143 runs.
Andy Balbirnie, Ireland’s skipper, said Hand was “fired up” about making his debut. “He’s a great character, he’s earned that debut and hopefully he can enjoy himself. The wicket looks pretty good. If we can get through that tricky first hour hopefully we’ll have a good day with the bat.”
England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Matthew Potts, 10 Josh Tongue, 11 Jack Leach
Ireland: 1 James McCollum, 2 PJ Moor, 3 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 4 Harry Tector, 5 Paul Stirling, 6 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 7 Curtis Campher, 8 Andy McBrine, 9 Mark Adair, 10 Fionn Hand, 11 Graham Hume.
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor, women’s cricket, at ESPNcricinfo
Source: ESPN Crickinfo
