Salt anchors England to win as Bethell becomes youngest England captain against Ireland
Phil Salt's 89 off 46 guides England to a four-wicket victory in Dublin; Jacob Bethell becomes England's youngest captain in 1889-era record as Ireland post 196-3.
England produced another tour de force from Phil Salt as Jacob Bethell began life as England's youngest captain with a four-wicket win over Ireland in the first of three Twenty20 internationals in Dublin. Salt struck 89 off 46 balls as England chased 197 with 14 balls to spare, moving the series into an early advantage.
Salt and Jos Buttler set the tone with a blistering 74-run stand in 4.4 overs, blasting Ireland's attack apart before Buttler fell for 28 off 10. Salt continued to dominate, finishing on 89 as England completed the pursuit with a heavy margin and six wickets in hand.
Ireland posted 196 for three as two half-centuries from Stephen Tector and Lorcan Tucker gave them a competitive total at Malahide. The home side used 12 sixes to keep England under pressure, and while three late wickets tightened the margin, the target proved well out of reach for Ireland after Salt and England opened with the big stand.
Rehan Ahmed’s promotion to number four yielded eight off nine balls, but England’s finish was spearheaded by Sam Curran, who smashed 27 off 15 to accelerate the chase and seal the result. England’s fielding was uneven, with all six bowlers going at eight or more an over as Ireland built 196 for three with a series of powerful shots.
Bethell, who replaced Monty Bowden as England’s youngest captain, described the achievement as something pretty special and added that England’s depth behind the openers helped the chase after a strong start. The remaining two games of the series are scheduled at Malahide on Friday and Sunday.