England vs Ireland Prediction & Betting Tips - One-off Test

Prediction published on 31/05/2023, 14:30  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 31/05/2023 at 14:30 in Cricket Predictions

England will play host to their neighbors Ireland in a one-off test match at Lord’s starting on Thursday. The hosts are ranked third in the ICC Test standings, while their opponents are 12th. The English Test summer will bring with it the Ashes in a few weeks, and the hosts will use this match to prepare for one of the most eagerly awaited duels in recent years. While England will be getting ready for that showdown in mid-June, Australia will be taking on India in the ICC World Test Championship final at the Oval next weekend. It was quite the spectacle the last time these sides met as England were bowled out in their first innings for a meager 85 runs. Ireland responded with 207 in their first innings, but a resilient Jack Leach got England to 303 in their second innings, setting Ireland a target of 182. Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad then took over with the ball, sharing 10 wickets between them to bowl out Ireland for just 32 runs. Since Brendon McCullum took charge of the test side, England’s adoption of the bazball approach has held them in good stead. They handed Pakistan a 3-0 whitewash on their home soil back in December and drew 1-1 with New Zealand in February. England will also be buoyed by news that Ben Stokes should be available for selection, which will give them a huge boost with both bat and ball. 

Meanwhile, while most will not be giving Ireland much chance to win in this one, the visitors have come on leaps and bounds over the last 12 months. They showed their improvement at the T20 World Cup last year when they shockingly beat England in the group stages by five runs after a rain delay. However, while they have improved notably in the shorter formats, their test form could use some improvement if they intend to move up the world rankings. Lorcan Tucker has been one that has caught the eye for Ireland in recent times, registering his first test century against Bangladesh last month and not forgetting that incredible 71 runs in 48 balls against Australia in the T20 competition late last year. A notable absentee for this match will be Josh Little, who will not make it back in time following his stint with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. Mark Adair picked up six wickets in this match back in 2019 and will likely lead the line for the Irish. The visitors may not be expected to win here, but they will relish the opportunity to take on a top-three side as they get ready for their ODI World Cup qualifiers in a couple of weeks.