Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie is confident that his team can beat 2019 World Cup champions England in their backyard in the upcoming three-match One Day International series later this July.
The Irishmen will leave for Southampton — the venue where all the three matches of the ODI series will be held in a bio-secure bubble, on Saturday (July 17) via a special chartered flight from Dublin.
Balbirnie further added that Ireland would have a “Christmas Eve-like feeling” when they take on England in the ODI series, saying all eyes will be on them since the series starting on July 30 would mark the resumption of ODI cricket following the Coronavirus-forced hiatus.
The captain is also excited for the upcoming England series as it will be also Ireland’s first fixture in the World Cup Super League qualification process for the 2023 World Cup.
Balbirnie said in a video conference on the sidelines of Cricket Ireland Jersey Sponsor E-Launch facilitated by ITW on Friday: “I am definitely excited. The series has got a Christmas Eve feel about it. Playing international cricket against the world champions gives us an opportunity to prove ourselves.”
He further added, “We weren’t sure we were going to get that at the start of the summer, but work done by the England Cricket Board and Cricket Ireland has been amazing. It will be the first ODI series since lockdown. All eyes will be on us and it’s my job to make sure we have 14 guys ready to win games of cricket for Ireland. I think every game you play for Ireland there is pressure nowadays. World Cup qualifier on top of an ODI against the world champions does bring in some pressure but I think we have shown in the last few months or pre COVID-19 that when the pressure got to us we did perform.”
Meanwhile, Eoin Morgan-led England side will have a lot of uncapped players for the ODI series, but the 29-year old expects an interesting battle between the two teams in the upcoming series.
He added, “Yes, it's a team that will be inexperienced but there are also some core guys who were there last year when they won the World Cup. Neither team has played any cricket in a long time so it will be interesting to see. I am confident. We can compete with them when we are at our best. Leading up to the game we need to hit the ground running. Anything can happen in cricket. So there is no reason (why) we can't go out and beat the world champions in their own backyard.”
The skipper also said the ongoing England-West Indies Test series – which marked the resumption of the game after COVID-19 shutdown, gives Ireland confidence to travel and concentrate on their job ahead.
He added, “It is challenging and unique going into a bio-secure bubble. But having watched the Tests between England and the West Indies gives us confidence, it gives us a lot of confidence going over that at the end of the day, it boils down to our skills and how we execute them during the matches there,”
Balbirnie, who has played three Tests, 67 ODIs, and 43 T20Is, also feels the absence of England’s ace all-rounder Ben Stokes will work in their favor in the upcoming ODI series. He signed off by saying, “Fortunately for us, because he is such a world-class player he is not in the one-day squad.”
(With IANS Inputs)
