Ireland v England in Ireland, 2011

At Clontarf, August 25, 2011. England won by 11 runs (D/L method). Toss: Ireland. One-day international debuts: S. G. Borthwick, B. A. Stokes, J. W. A. Taylor.

A weakened England side avoided a repeat of their World Cup embarrassment five months earlier, on a squally day that tested the patience of a capacity crowd of almost 5,000 at a venue transformed from its usual purpose as a club ground. Only Morgan, receiving a generous reception in his first game as England captain against the country of his birth, timed the ball consistently on a very slow pitch. He struck 59 from 65 balls, but Trott, returning from a shoulder injury, seemed over-concerned about preserving his wicket for the batting powerplay, and ate up 105 deliveries for his 69. Some clean late hitting by Woakes added a much-needed flourish, before a heavy shower interrupted Ireland's reply after 13 overs. Their new target of 129 from 23 meant they needed a further 87 from ten with eight wickets in hand, and a repeat of that heady night in Bangalore seemed plausible when Kevin O'Brien struck Borthwick for two sixes soon after the restart. But he was yorked by Dernbach, whose variations vexed Ireland. Bopara's skiddiness was only marginally less effective, and a tight penultimate over by Patel, costing four runs, left Ireland requiring 19 from the last. Dernbach, now opting for pace and a full length, limited them to seven.

Man of the Match: E. J. G. Morgan.