Ireland v Australia, Only ODI, preview: Young Aussie brigade all set to take on Ireland

Ireland v Australia, Only ODI, preview: Young Aussie brigade all set to take on Ireland: Now, the fever of Ashes 2015 is over with the home team England regaining the beloved Urn as they deflated the Australian’s by 3-2. But folks don’t go on the look of the score line as it was not as jaw-dropping and heart-bounding series as the score line suggests. Now the focus shifts from Test cricket to the shorter formats of the game. The World Champions Australia is all set to lock horns with the Irish team in a one-off ODI match in Belfast on Thursday.

Though their last encounter at Belfast which took place in 2012 must be fresh in the memories of both the teams. But not certainly for a thrilling encounter but for a match which got spoiled due to heavy rain. Only a total of 10.4 overs were bowled in the match. Even this time around, there are chances of showers during the match. But it’s hardly a thing which will be going through the minds of both the teams who have different aims and challenges coming into the match which are certainly much bigger than anticipating and worrying about weather conditions.

Talking about the Aussie side it will be their first ODI match after winning the World Cup 2015 which concluded 5 months ago. They would be looking to leave behind the disappointments of the Ashes series and commence their preparation for the Champions Trophy 2017 under the leadership of new skipper Steven Smith who will be taking over the reins of the side after Clarke’s retirement. David Warner will start his stint as the deputy of Smith while the senior guys Shane Watson and George Bailey will be there to help and guide Smith and Warner with their experience.

It would be more of a Warm-up type of game for the tourists as they would look to get into the groove before they take on the English side in the 5-match ODI series. They are going into the match with their full-strength side. Joe Burns is all set to make his ODI debut and will open in the batting with pocket dynamo David Warner. While Ashton Agar who performed exceedingly well on India A tour will be the lone spinner in the side. The Australian pace-spearhead will be the World Cup hero Mitchell Starc who will be partnered by Pat Cummins and Nathan Coulter-Nile in the pace department.

It would be interesting to see how the young Aussie brigade would respond in the 1^st ODI match as they would like to start building up for World Cup 2019 which will be played in UK. While if we talk about the Ireland side, they enjoy the reputation of being the best among the Associates and since the World Cup 2007 their graph has only got better with time. Now, they would be aiming to win more matches against strong nations like Australia to stamp their authority in international arena.

With the likes of Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Gary Wilson and O’Brien brothers in their batting ranks they certainly possess the firepower to thrash any team on their day which was the case in World Cup 2015 as well where they defeated West Indies and Zimbabwe. On bowling front, George Dockrell has been the stand-out spinner for the side while John Mooney would bring the much-needed experience in their pace department.

Ireland’s bowling seems to be their Achilles heels while brash batting have also adversely affected their side on many occasions. But despite of that their chances can’t be ruled out as they certainly have the potential and strength to beat any side though Australian’s would also not leave any stone unturned to win this one-off ODI and head in the bigger series against England with momentum on their side.

Squads:

Ireland: W Porterfield (capt), A Balbirnie, G Dockrell, E Joyce, J Mooney, T Murtagh, A McBrine, K OBrien, N OBrien, P Stirling, S Thompson, G Wilson, C Young

Australia: S Smith (capt), A Agar, G Bailey, J Burns, N Coulter-Nile, P Cummins, G Maxwell, M Marsh, J Pattinson, M Starc, M Stoinis, M Wade, S Watson, D Warner