Six wickets and a cool, calm 38 not out from Kate Cross was enough for England to secure victory against Ireland in the 1st ODI at Stormont in Belfast.
#IREvENG Ireland 210 v England 211-6
— CRICKETher (@crickether.bsky.social) 2024-09-07T15:36:06.733Z
On what locals told us was the finest day of the summer in Northern Ireland, the Irish (whose team comprises members from both Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland) opted to bat first having won the toss, and would probably have settled for anything over 200, which is where the threshold of respectability lies in ICC Championship cricket right now – a “typical” 1st innings score being between 200 and 300, with 250 the average in recent years.
#IREvENG Ireland 210 v England
— CRICKETher (@crickether.bsky.social) 2024-09-07T12:55:28.928Z
England got the early breakthrough, with Kate Cross going up twice for LBW to Una Raymond-Hoey in the opening over, and getting the decision at the second time of asking; and Ireland also lost Gaby Lewis in the powerplay – dismissed by the perfect Lauren Filer delivery, bouncing into the rib-cage of Lewis, who could couldn’t get her glove out of the way in time, sending a catch lolliping up to Hollie Armitage at slip.
This brought local girl Amy Hunter (born in Belfast) and Orla Prendergast (last seen playing for The Blaze in regionals) together, who put on 53 to steady the ship as England struggled to drive home any advantage those early wickets might have given them. That’s not to say that Hunter and Prendergast quite got away from England, but both were able to milk relatively easy runs from Hannah Baker and Ryana MacDonald-Gay, and if it hadn’t been for a lapse in concentration from Hunter right after the drinks break at 16 overs, the two might have done a lot more damage.
Prendergast showed her worth to this Ireland team, continuing to push on with Leah Paul, including hitting the only 6 of the innings, before eventually holing-out off Kate Cross in the 31st over for a well-made 76 off 87 balls. It was a rapid ride downhill for Ireland from there, as they slipped from 151-3 to 210 all out as Kate Cross completed her 6fer, meaning ultimately that they left the field disappointed, with a total they would probably have taken at the start of the day.
With 5 debutantes in their lineup, including 3 making their first appearances for England – Baker, MacDonald-Gay and Paige Scholfield – there was definitely potential for England to collapse in a bundle of nerves, especially if they lost a couple of early wickets. With Emma Lamb having departed early, England could have done with Tammy Beaumont sticking around but she got an unplayable delivery from Prendergast – very likely the Ball of the Series, it nipped in at pace between bat and pad to take the very top off the off bail – a delivery that would have dismissed Meg Lanning in her prime.
It was left to two of those debutantes – Scholfield and Hollie Armitage – to get England back on track, under a fair bit of pressure with only 32 on the board, but whilst both might be debutantes, neither are dilettantes, and at 28 and 27 respectively both have years of professional cricket behind them. That experience showed, as they worked the field in a 62 run partnership that tested the captaincy of Gaby Lewis, who found herself chasing the gaps – plugging one, only for Scholfield and Armitage to find another.
Neither Scholfield (31) nor Armitage (44) were able to push on quite as far as they no doubt would have liked, but their partnership of 62 ensured that England had the platform they needed to go on and win the game.
England definitely had the edge at the half-way point in their innings, but it wasn’t a done deal, with WinHer giving Ireland still a 24% chance at that stage.
#IREvENG Ireland 210 v England 146-5
— CRICKETher (@crickether.bsky.social) 2024-09-07T14:57:37.846Z
It took the most experienced player in the side – the captain Kate Cross, selected for this role very much because England wanted someone who could be a calm head in a crisis, to come in at 8 and get England over the line. If Hollie Armo was Bob The Builder, and Scholfield, Freya Kamp and Bess Heath were Scoop, Muck and Dizzy; then Cross was Wendy – turning up in the final act to do what needed to be done and finish the job!
Cross was understandably delighted at the end, basking in the glow of a Player of the Match award in her first game as captain (something which Heather Knight also achieved, back in 2016 against Pakistan), but Ireland will retain some hope that they can take something from this series against an England team that were definitely a step below the usual 1st XI. Ireland have some decent players in the likes of Prendergast and Hunter, who look capable of winning a match on their day; but it will definitely take “their day”, with Ireland’s fielding in particular looking amateurish compared to England’s, leaking runs they could ill-afford to as England closed in on their total. If Ireland can keep heart, it looks set to be an interesting next 10 days on the Emerald Isle.
CRICKETher 
Very good game, and England did pretty well considering the lack of experienced players and all the debutantes. England bowled and fielded pretty well, with Ireland batting determinedly for the first half of the innings on what was a very good batting track, with a fast outfield.
I thought Hannah Baker bowled well and looked dangerous, a few Ireland batters clearly had no idea how to play her. After getting her first wicket, RMG bowled more confidently and looked difficult to play. Cross was absolutely outstanding, both with ball and bat – and her batting was very much needed at the end. It shouldn’t have been.
Emma Lamb has looked a bit short of form this year, so it was a curious time to pick her, hopefully she can contribute more in the next 2 games. Both Armitage and Scholfield were playing brilliantly and making it look easy, but I felt both gave it away a bit, getting unnecessarily greedy looking for quick runs. They could and probably should have got England much closer to the target. It wouldn’t have mattered if it took an extra few overs.
The England management seem to have pre-judged the required levels that England need to reach for this series, and selected accordingly, but it’s a close-run thing. We only just have enough batting reserves in the ODI team, with Bryony Smith who could come in; and the T20 squad in particular is a bit short on batting depth (there are only 6 recognised batters in that squad as far as I can see). It will only take a bit more from Ireland or a mistake or two from England and I can see us coming up a bit short, which could be embarrassing.
Ireland showed the Sri Lankans a thing or two, who beat England in a T20i series last year; and I feel England were pushed a bit more today than perhaps they’d like in this series. I think it will need to be a case of the top order taking a bit more responsibility and a few less risks than they’re used to.
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Interesting game. I felt before the series that Ireland were underpriced (and I wagered accordingly) but I’m not quite sure what to take from the first result.
Ireland have 3 players capable of match-defining knocks, more than quite a few higher ranked teams. It’s hard not to feel if Prendergast had reached her century the outcome of the match would have been different.
They are less potent with the ball (and Prendergast appears to be limited in how much she can bowl) but England’s batting looks shaky. This England team and coaching staff are very similar to the ‘A’ squad that has lost 5 of 6 fifty-over games since last summer. In all of those defeats they were bowled out, and usually before the 40th over.
All that said, maybe Saturday was the game for Ireland to win. It was in the balance on several occasions but England always seemed to have an answer. Perhaps Ireland’s best chance has already gone.
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