Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

First Test between the two countries tomorrow.

James Anderson is missing with an injury.

England:

Roy/Burns/Denly/Root/Stokes/Bairstow/Moeen/Woakes/Leach/Broad/Stone/Gregory/S.Curran.

Ireland:

Porterfield/Balbirnie/McCollom/O'Brien/Stirling/Tucker/Young/Wilson/McBrine/Adaire/Singh/Murtagh/Thompson/Rankin.

Looks like one from three: Stone, Gregory, Curran.

Curran is the one in situ.

I thought Stokes was rested for this ? Were there not just 13 in the squad - now 12 with Jimmy dropping out ? Or has there been a change I've missed ?

I'd expect Gregory to carry the drinks.

Maybe I'm wrong!

I must have been steered by a disbelief there were only four batters and a keeper (and three of those uncapped or barely capped) in the squad. No Stokes of course. Two of those three to play. Presumably Curran is in to bat and one of Gregory or Stone will debut (and never play again).

Gregory is out.

Five players haven't played a home Test before.

Looks like:
Roy
Burns
Denly
Root
Bairstow
Moeen
Woakes
Curran
Leach
Broad
Stone

Might be good enough for Ireland, wouldn't really fancy them the week after...

Cloudless sunshine all day. Up to 31 degrees.

Lord's can be best to bowl first on when it's bouncy and it gets flatter early on. But I guess with all that sun on it it might break up. So bat first.

Any chance of an upset? That's a weak England team.

But not Ireland's best side ever either.

I'd want to bowl to Ireland straightaway, because the batting line up looks like a few second rate county players cobbled together with some clangers. Int he bowling, there are players on their day that could damaged you, so avoid the banana skin early doors and play to your strengths.

I expect Ireland to exceed their level, as they often do in sports vs England, but in terms of quality they need a miracle to win the game.

England 1 Jason Roy, 2 Rory Burns, 3 Joe Denly, 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Olly Stone

Ireland 1 Will Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Andy Balbirnie, 4 James McCollum, 5 Kevin O'Brien, 6 Gary Wilson (wk), 7 Mark Adair, 8 Andy McBrine, 9 Stuart Thompson, 10 Boyd Rankin, 11 Tim Murtagh

England win toss and bat!

Only four days of course, so a little more likely to end in a draw.

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Only four days of course, so a little more likely to end in a draw.

4 days? Really.... why?

Roy off the mark for his career with a nicely timed poke

Roy is out, but its a no ball.....

In one over a guy with a first class average of near 50 a wicket has just made Roy look like a tailender.

First he gets wrapped on the pad to a ball that seams into him, footwork missing presumed dead. He then inside edges fraction away from the stumps, before being stone dead lbw and saved by the no ball. Three times Adair got the ball to move in, three times Roy looked completely done. The inside edge was too close to cut....

Not a great start.

Two balls later, Roy flings at a ball he shouldnt, and there is no no-ball saving him this time. Slip gobbles it up, and a tragedy of a debut innings comes to a close.