T20 World Cup 2022: Match 20 - Predicted England Playing XI vs Ireland

The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 matches are up and running as the 20^th fixture of the stage will witness the clash between England and Ireland at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne. Th English side bagged a victory in its first match against Afghanistan in a low-scoring contest between the sides.

On the other hand, Ireland are reeling after a loss at the hands of Asia Cup 2022 winners, Sri Lanka in their first Super 12 fixture. The Irish side looked confident in the First Round with their dominating performances as they battered rival sides such as Scotland and the West Indies. However, in the match against the Lankan Lions, the Irish side fell like nine pins and crumbled.

Jos Buttler-led England comfortably earned their two points following the win against Afghanistan with their sensational bowling display. The batters, however, have not yet been put to test to their full potential as it is expected to happen in the forthcoming fixtures.

Moreover, England and Ireland have only clashed once at the showpiece event and that too nearly 12 years ago (in 2010) in a fixture that ended with no result. While you cannot write Ireland off, England will look to win another game to maintain their form.

Let’s look at England’s probable playing XI against Ireland:

Openers: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales

Wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler is seen as a player who can middle the ball perfectly well and also use his attacking prowess for hard-hitting depending on the requirements of the game. Buttler led his team to dominate the match against Afghanistan, however, their batting was not at par with their bowling display.

Since his knock of 53 off 40 balls in the first T20I match of the seven-match series against Pakistan recently, Hales has endured a string of average outings and could only record one half-century (first T20I against Australia in Perth) leading into the T20 World Cup.

His most recent match against Afghanistan saw him score mere 19 runs off 20 balls. England could look to replace him in the big matches if he fails to impress and therefore he will look to get the big runs against Ireland in order to boost his confidence.

Middle-order: Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan

Liam Livingstone hitting the ball out of the park is not an uncommon phenomenon and England will bank on the explosive batter to get them the big scores. The batter, who comes down the order will look to live upto the reputation of being a marauder in T20 cricket.

Dawid Malan is a pivotal part of the English squad and the skipper will not leave him out of this fixture against Ireland. Malan can adapt to the playing conditions and keep the scoreboard ticking when the side is on the backfoot.

Touted as one of England's future stars, Brooks, the young sensation has a lot to offer as a batter. The variety of shots he has can at times deceive the fielders. He will be itching to do well in the game against Ireland and announce himself on the big stage.

All-rounder: Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes

Arguably one of the best all-rounders of all time, Ben Stokes can be lethal with both the bat and ball in hand and can take the game away from the rival side in a jiffy. The attacking southpaw with a penchant for power hitting and a knack of providing breakthroughs with the ball, could prove to be dangerous for the Irish side.

One cannot forget the sensational innings played by Sam Curran in the match against Afghanistan in England's first Super 12 stage encounter. The player used the Australian conditions to his advantage and got some swing and good bounce with his short balls. Despite the injury setback to Reece Topley, Curran took over the left-arm seamer role and bagged a match-winning ‘fifer’ against the Mohammad Nabi-led side.

Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes can come down the order and smack a few in the crunch moments of the game and hand the side big scores. 

Bowlers: Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

The two out-and-out bowlers, Mark Wood and Adil Rashid have the ability to bamboozle the batters and the Irish team will need to find a way to target these bowlers. Rashid, however, leaked a lot of runs as he gave 32 runs in his four overs with an economy rate of 8.00 against Afghanistan.

Wood, on the other hand, has good pace to use the conditions to his advantage and scalp a few, handing the side major breakthroughs.

England predicted XI against Ireland: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Harry Brooks, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

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