After climbing cricket’s highest peak, England face what should be their easiest Test in years: a four-day game, at home, against Ireland. One nation will draw on the accumulated knowhow of a thousand Tests; the other, only two. Then again, wouldn’t it be just like England to win the World Cup at Lord’s one week and lose to a bunch of part-timers there the next?
The match, which starts on Wednesday, ought to be a gentle warmup for the Ashes. Except that warmups have a way of biting big names on the backside. Lord’s is just down the road from Kilburn, a traditional Irish stronghold that will surely send some of its sons and daughters along to scoff at the English. If they fancy a flutter, an Irish victory is a tempting 25-1.
Written by Tim de Lisle
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jul/20/jason-roy-ashes-claim-england-ireland-test-lords under the title “Jason Roy can stake Ashes claim as Ireland target another scalp | Tim de Lisle”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
