IRELAND TOUR OF ENGLAND, 2023

Jacks and Hain lead England's young brigade to 334

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Will Jacks scored 94, missing out on his maiden ODI ton
Will Jacks scored 94, missing out on his maiden ODI ton © Getty

Put into bat on a good-looking Trent Bridge surface that had a cracking outfield to boot, England ended up with a good total thanks to Will Jacks' career-best knock of 94 and a solid 89 from debutant Sam Hain. Ireland managed to fight back after a wayward start with the new ball but the duo's efforts, along with supporting contributions from Ben Duckett and Brydon Carse, got the hosts to a strong score of 334.

Ireland skipper Paul Stirling's decision to bowl on a sunny morning was largely due to the expected dew later in the evening but the start was far from ideal for his side. He also expected the fresh surface to have some early assistance for his pacers, which explains the fullish lengths that were tried by Ireland's new-ball pair of Mark Adair and Josh Little. However, there wasn't any swing on offer and England's openers were off the blocks in a flash. Phil Salt and Jacks racked up a flurry of boundaries to get the innings going at breakneck speed.

It was the introduction of Craig Young that gave Ireland the much-needed respite from the onslaught. With no swing available, he decided to hit the hard length and it was instantly evident that those areas weren't as easy to score. Young broke the opening stand in his very first over, getting rid of Salt and also had skipper Zak Crawley LBW in the same over to jolt England. Jacks, though, batted at a good tempo and found ideal support in Duckett as the pair went about rebuilding the innings. To their credit, Ireland never really allowed the scoring rate to go out of hand despite the odd big over.

Both fell at a time when they were about to hit top gear and Jacks was unfortunate to miss out on a deserved ton. Debutant Jamie Smith didn't last long either as he holed out to long-on. These breakthroughs allowed Ireland some breathing space but Hain along with Carse put the innings back on track. The former wasn't his usual fluent self but that also had to do with the nature of the track as the slower deliveries did grip a touch. England looked set for a 350-plus score yet again but once more, Ireland came back well at the death to restrict the hosts. Apart from Young, George Dockrell had a good outing with three scalps, all of which were defining breakthroughs.

Brief scores: England 334-8 in 50 overs (Will Jacks 94, Sam Hain 89; George Dockrell 3-43, Craig Young 2-38) vs Ireland.

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