England vs Ireland, Only Test: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Ireland will play against England for the first time in the Tests at the iconic Lord’s on Wednesday. This is a great opportunity for the newcomers in the format who have already impressed in two outings so far but haven’t managed to win a game. While they fought bravely against Pakistan, Afghanistan defeated Ireland in Dehradun. William Porterfield’s men are no doubt the underdogs again going into the contest but will hope to stretch the home side over the next four days.

England, on the other hand, will look this as the best match practice ahead of the more important Ashes. Rather they would want Ireland to give them a tough fight and look at how some of their players respond to the challenge. The World Cup win at the same venue is still fresh but things can go wrong quickly and Joe Root will be aware of the same. Jason Roy and Olly Stone look set to make their Test debut for England. Lewis Gregory can also get an opportunity.

Match Details:

The one-off four-day Test match will be played between England and Ireland at the Lord’s in London.

The match starts at 11:00 AM local time (3:30 PM IST) (10:00 AM GMT).

This game will be live on Sony Six and live streaming is available on Sony LIV.

Weather Report

It is expected to be sunny in the afternoon in London. But there is a 34% chance of rain at 11 AM when the match is expected to start and the rain threat will remain until 1 PM. However, the clouds will be clear after that and we should be able to get a full day’s play.

The forecast for the second day of the Test match is clear. It is not promising for the last two days of the game as rain with thunderstorms are expected according to AccuWeather.

Pitch Report

This is the first Test match of the season at Lord’s this year. The wicket turned slow as the game progressed during the World Cup. But with the cloudy conditions on offer, the pacers should enjoy bowling. The team winning the toss is expected to bat first if the sun is out as Day 1 will offer the best of the batting conditions. The first hour will be crucial in any case as the red cherry will swing a fair bit in any conditions and more so the left-arm seamers will swing it more with the slope helping them.

Average first innings score: 365 (Last three first-class matches at the venue)

Probable Playing XIs:

England

Jason Roy, Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Joe Root (C), Jason Bairstow (WK), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Lewis Gregory, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Olly Stone.

Bench – Jack Leach, James Anderson.

Ireland

William Porterfield (C), Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, James McCollum, Kevin O’Brien, Gary Wilson (WK), Stuart Thompson, Andy McBrine/Simi Singh, Tim Murtagh, Boyd Rankin, Mark Adair/Craig Young.

Bench – Andy McBrine/Simi Singh, Mark Adair/Craig Young, Lorcan Tucker.

Note: One of McBrine or Simi Singh can play depending upon the conditions. Simi Singh can bowl but is predominantly a batsman and if the team needs batting depth, he could be preferred.

Team News

James Anderson has been ruled out of this Test match due to a right calf injury.

Power Picks:

Tim Murtagh in first-class cricket at Lord’s

Matches: 72

Wickets: 291

Average: 23.98

Strike-Rate: 47.81

five-wicket hauls: 13

10-wicket hauls in a match: 2

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options: Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Andrew Balbirnie

Vice-Captain Options: Tim Murtagh, Jonny Bairstow, William Porterfield

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Jonny Bairstow

Batsmen – Joe Root (C), Jason Roy, William Porterfield, Andrew Balbirnie,

All-Rounders – Moeen Ali, Sam Curran (VC)

Bowlers – Stuart Broad, Olly Stone, Tim Murtagh, Boyd Rankin.

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Jonny Bairstow (C)

Batsmen – Joe Root, Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Andrew Balbirnie, Kevin O’Brien

All-Rounders – Sam Curran

Bowlers – Chris Woakes, Olly Stone, Tim Murtagh (VC), Boyd Rankin.

Expert Advice:

Murtagh is a good option for one of the multipliers courtesy his good record in these conditions while playing for Middlesex.

Sam Curran is likely to extract more swing thanks to the slope at Lord’s and looking at England’s batting frailties and a trimmed batting line-up, he could be made the captain in grand leagues.

Probable Winners:

England are expected to win the match. But with the rain around on the third and fourth day, it might end up as a tame draw as well.