ENG vs IRE Only Test, Day 2: Ducket’s Ton, Pope’s Double ton helps England post a massive 255 run lead
The Day 2 of ENG vs IRE Only Test totally belonged to the hosts. However, Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector did a great job for Ireland to create a stand and ensure that no more wickets fell. Ireland quickly lost two wickets early on.
The terrible injury caused James McCollum to retire. Paul Stirling also left after making a promising start. Bravo to England for controlling the ball. Josh Tongue, who was making his debut, stood out because he was quick and finished with three wickets. The game is clearly in England’s favour at this point. On Day 2, they played strong batting, led by Ollie Pope’s double-century. The others lingered and did well as well.
Ollie Pope brings up his Double Century with a six
Six was the minimum. It seemed only natural that Ollie Pope reached the milestone in England’s new Test era with a skip and a heave to dismiss Andy McBrine all the way down the ground with his double-century only one run away. This might have been Bazball, but it wasn’t because it wasn’t necessary.
Pope and Ben Duckett’s names were thus engraved into history and onto the Lord’s honours board while all that was left of England’s loss to Ireland was some gold leaf and speculation about what will happen against Australia in precisely one week.
Moreover, by the time Joe Root (56) was out, he and Pope had contributed 146 runs together, and they had done so while England maintained an astonishing run rate of 6.34. There is absolutely no question that when the Ashes start, the hosts will be getting ready to unleash the beast once more.
Josh Tongue’s maiden Test wicket in ENG vs IRE Only Test
Debutant seamer Josh Tongue did manage to take his first Test wicket and two more, but he had to wait until Ireland’s second innings after bowling 13 effective but unsuccessful overs. Additionally, opener James McCollum had to visit the hospital after horribly twisting his right ankle on an abandoned pull shot in Tongue’s second over of the day, compounding Ireland’s already dire situation.
In the seventh over, Tongue came in to replace Stuart Broad, who had taken five wickets in Ireland’s first innings. Tongue struck with his first and sixth balls, trapping PJ Moor leg before with one that kept low and drew an outside edge as Andy Balbirnie played away from his body but ended up in Jonny Bairstow’s gloves. After an England review determined that the ball had brushed Paul Stirling’s glove on an attempted pull, Bairstow once more gathered behind the stumps, leaving Ireland behind by 255 runs as the game came to a close.
Broad’s five-fer set to tone for England in Ireland’s first innings
Stuart Broad, the premier fast bowler for England, started the English summer off with a bang by bowling superbly on the opening day of the current one-off Test against Ireland at the storied Lord’s cricket field.
The Nottinghamshire bowler put on an electric performance, completely dominating the Irish batting order, and taking an astonishing five wickets in a stroke of pure genius. This feat was notable since it was Broad’s twentieth five-wicket haul at Lord’s in his storied career in Test cricket and it also represented his first at the venue in ten years.
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