IRE v IND, 2018, 2nd T20I: Ireland Probable XI

Just before the England tour this year, India set off to the shores of Britain to play Ireland for a two-match T20I series. In the first game, things just went as per the script for India in the First T20I against Ireland. As expected, they defeated the hosts by a huge margin of 76 runs.

Despite Ireland playing some great cricket in the recent times, they failed to defeat the Indian team. However, to pull things back in the Second T20I, Ireland needs to work on quite a few things. Their bowlers failed to restrict the Indian batsmen. Further, the spin twins, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav weaved their magic around the Irish batsmen helping the team win the game. Going into the second game, Ireland is expected to go unchanged as there are not many options available at stake for them.

Here is Ireland’s Probable XI for the 2nd T20I:

Openers – Paul Stirling, James Shannon

Ireland opener Paul Stirling will mostly be playing his 50th T20 International game in the 2nd T20I against India. Stirling has scored over 1,000 runs for Ireland in T20Is. This aggressive batsman missed out in the 1st T20I against India. He only managed to score 1 run in the game and was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah. However, he is expected to come back strong in the second game.

Stirling will have James Shannon as his partner to open the innings. Shannon was undoubtedly the best Irish batsman in the 1st T20I. He played some great cricket and took it on to the Indian bowlers. He scored 60 runs in 35 balls which included 5 fours and 4 sixes. Shannon is expected to continue the good form in the second game as well.

Middle Order – Andrew Balbirnie, Gary Wilson(c), Simi Singh, Stuart Poynter(wk)

Andy Balbirnie failed in the first T20I against India. He batted at the crucial No 3 position for Ireland in the game. However, he scored at a slow rate and failed to make an impact. He scored 11 off 14 but is expected to continue in the XI. Captain Gary Wilson also failed in the first game. He had an off-day as the skipper of the side and didn’t go well with the bat. He only scored 5 off 9 balls.

Indian-born Simi Singh aspired to play for India. However, destiny had other plans as he is currently representing Ireland. Simi only managed to score 7 runs off 10 balls in the first game. Stuart Poynter kept wickets for the team and batted down the order. He is not known much for his heroics with the bat and scored 7 runs in the first game.

All Rounders – Kevin O’Brien, Stuart Thompson

Both the Irish all-rounders didn’t have a great day on the field in the first T20I. Hence, Ireland’s performance in the match wasn’t that great as all-rounders play a very important role in T20s. Kevin bowled 3 overs in the first game. He conceded 36 runs and picked the important wicket of Shikhar Dhawan to provide the first break for Ireland in India’s innings. With the bat, he scored 10 off 5 and will definitely continue with his place in the XI.

Stuart Thompson has the ability to score at a great strike rate. But, he performed terribly in the 1st T20I between both the teams. Thompson just conceded 31 runs in just the 2 overs he bowled. With the bat, he scored 12 off 8 balls and fell in the trap of Kuldeep Yadav. Since there are not many other options available, Thompson will continue to feature in the XI.

Bowlers – Peter Chase, George Dockrell, Boyd Rankin

Peter Chase was the best Ireland bowler in the 1st T20I. He also picked the wickets of some big names in Indian cricket. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, and MS Dhoni were dismissed by him. But, his most prized wicket will be the one of Virat Kohli. He dismissed one of the best batsmen in the world for a duck.

George Dockrell and Boyd Rankin were the other two bowlers who played in the first game. Both of them were quite expensive and also failed to pick any wickets. Rankin opened the bowling and was decent enough conceding 34 runs in 4 overs. On the other hand, Dockrell gave away 40 runs in his 4 overs.