Sports Blog 07/05/2015: ODI Preview- Ireland vs England, Friday 8th May 2015

An experimental England squad travel to Ireland on Friday for a one-off ODI at Malahide.

Captained by James Taylor, the England squad contains several newcomers looking to force their way into the setup for the busy international summer ahead. Despite the inexperience of the squad, our traders have priced England up at 4/11. Ireland are priced up at 21/10, with our spread betting supremacy chalked up at England over Ireland 24-34 (based on runs won by or wickets won by x 10).

With the retirement of Jonathan Trott rounding off a disappointing tour of the Caribbean, a spot at the top of the English batting order is up for grabs. One man widely tipped to challenge for that place is Nottinghamshire’s Alex Hales, who should be given the chance to impress against the Irish. Expected to open the batting with Jason Roy, our traders quote Hales player performance at 45-50 (based on 1 point per run, 10 points per catch, 20 points per wicket and 25 points per stumping), clearly expecting him to take a fancy to the Irish attack.

Roy himself is quoted at 42-47, and after making his t20 international debut last year he will be desperate to put himself back in the minds of the selectors. If England do elect to open with these two you would expect plenty of shots in the opening overs. Both are known for their fearless stroke-play, and our traders expect England to have the better of the early overs, quoting England’s 1st 15 Overs supremacy over Ireland at 10-13.

It will be a much changed English bowling attack at Malahide. Anderson and Broad, the two stalwarts of the attack for many years, have been given a well-earned rest ahead of the 1st Test against New Zealand , giving an opportunity to several younger bowlers to enhance their reputations. As the most experienced international bowler in the squad, Steven Finn will be determined to show he is over his well-publicised struggles and can once again be trusted to spearhead an England attack. Our traders quote Finn’s player performance at 35-40, and his supporters will be hoping for a lively surface at Malahide to aid his pace and bounce. If the England selectors have given up on Finn, Mark Wood may be the next quick bowler to be given a chance to establish himself. After being used only as a drinks carrier in the Caribbean, Wood will surely be unleashed on the Irish batsmen here, and will certainly be raring to go. The Durham seamer’s player performance is priced up at 31-36 and he may be aided by the forecast overcast conditions.

For all of England’s experimentation it will be a familiar looking Ireland side that look to repeat their famous victory over England at the 2011 World Cup. Captain Will Porterfield will hope to lead from the front, although our traders do not particularly fancy his chances of success, offering a juicy 9/2 on him top scoring for the Emerald Isle. Porterfield’s player performance is quoted at 32-37, and it will be worth checking out what our traders price his runs up at when he walks to the crease. Further down the order it may be left to Kevin O’Brien’s big hitting to bolster Ireland’s total. Punters who fancy him to match his 2011 World Cup heroics may be interested in the 9/1 about him top scoring for the Irish, and with the prospect of him bowling a few overs of his right arm seam our traders have quoted his player performance at a lofty 44-49.

With Tim Murtagh absent, much will rest on the shoulders of young Irish spinner George Dockrell. Touted as potentially the next Irishman to represent England, Porterfield will hope Dockrell can give him some control during the middle overs and expose the inexperienced English middle order. Our traders aren’t convinced Dockrell will be up to the task, offering his player performance at a relatively paltry 28-33.

This is a game the England players know they should win, and really dare not lose. Nevertheless it certainly could be a tricky test for this new-look side; there is nothing the Irish side like more than embarrassing their nearest rivals. With several Irish players defecting to represent England in recent years there is always plenty of feeling in these games and it should make interesting viewing. The toss is set for 10:15 on Friday morning and Spreadex will as usual be the place to be for the most comprehensive service throughout the match.