CRICKET/Ireland v England:It was a difficult day for the Irish in Georgetown yesterday - whatever side they were on. Ireland's batsmen were left with too big a mountain to climb as some late-order hitting by England changed the course of the game. The underdogs came up short, being bowled out for 218 to lose by 48 runs.
And for England, Ed Joyce had a day to forget.
In a telling half hour at the end of England's innings, Ireland conceded 94 runs off the final 10 overs, with 65 going off the last five. It was a session that changed the game, turning a reachable total in to something more, and was at odds with much of the attritional cricket by two sides shackled by the slowness of the wicket once the new ball had dulled.
Earlier in the day, in muggy, hot conditions, England captain Michael Vaughan won the toss and elected to bat.
Ed Joyce came into the game having been the focus of much of the pre-game media attention. The story of the Irishman playing against his homeland led many a sports section yesterday morning.
Such a profile can be burdensome. The Bray man seemed nervous, playing and missing off the first ball of the day and getting off the mark with a thick edge through gully.
He then made a calamitous error, leaving a ball from Boyd Rankin that took the top of his off stump.
Rankin was engulfed by the Ireland players: the joy on their faces contrasting with the blank, disbelief of their former team-mate. Joyce stood at the crease blinking and seemed dumbfounded. His was a very slow trudge back to the gaudy new clubhouse. It was the walk of a man who knew his big day was over, and perhaps his World Cup too.
Later, he completed a miserable day when he dropped Niall O'Brien, a straightforward chance above his head at midwicket.
Rankin's height troubled the early England order. If there is any eccentricity in the pitch, such a high point of delivery will coax it out.
Vaughan went caught by O'Brien behind the stumps off another Rankin seamer. At 23 for 2 off five overs it appeared a good toss to lose for Ireland.
Against tight change bowling by Andre Botha and Kyle McCallan, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen moved the innings on, without ever threatening to run amok, Bell taking 74 balls for his 31.
Bullish and cocky, Pietersen is officially the number one batsman in world one-day cricket, capable of taking the game away from any attack. His 48 off 47 balls appeared ominous, but he went forcing McCallan into the very safe hands of William Porterfield. The 22-year-old is a scintillating fielder, up there with the best in the tournament.
It was left to Paul Collingwood, ever under-rated, to compile an innings of 90 that first steered the second half of the innings and then cut loose in that decisive final 10 overs.
Ireland's innings started badly. Jeremy Bray was caught off James Anderson at gully trying to force the first ball he received. Of the Ireland top six, only Niall O'Brien, with 63 off 88 balls, threatened the England total.
Bray was followed by Eoin Morgan, who went soon after, run out to some smart work off his bowling by Saj Mahmood.
O'Brien and William Porterfield are similar in stature and technique. They played Andy Flintoff well. The O'Brien brothers went in quick succession. First Kevin, to a dubious lbw, and then Niall, dancing down the pitch to Vaughan, stumped by yards.
McCallan and captain Trent Johnston rallied toward the end with some clever hitting, enough to cause some England headaches, but the game had been lost earlier in the day and, with Johnston's wicket, went Ireland's last chance.
Cricket World Cup: page 7
In Guyana
England Won Toss
England Innings
E Joyce b Rankin 1
M Vaughan c N O'Brien b Rankin 6
I Bell c N O'Brien b K O'Brien 31
K Pietersen c Porterfield b McCallan 48
P Collingwood run out 90
A Flintoff b Johnston 43
P Nixon c Morgan b A Botha 19
R Bopara not out 10
S Mahmood not out 0
Extras (lb2 w13 nb3) 18
Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) ... 266
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-23, 3-89, 4-113, 5-194, 6-245, 7-258.
Did Not Bat: J M Anderson, M S Panesar.
Bowling: Langford-Smith 7-0-38-0 Rankin 7-1-28-2 Johnston 10-0-70-1 A C Botha 10-1-56-1 K J O'Brien 4-0-26-1 McCallan 10-0-38-1 A R White 2-0-8-0.
Ireland Innings
WTS Porterfield c Bell b Flintoff 31
JP Bray c Bopara b Anderson 0
EJ Morgan run out (Mahmood) 2
NJ O'Brien st Nixon b Vaughan 63
AC Botha c Flintoff b Panesar 18
KJ O'Brien lbw b Panesar 12
DT Johnston b Flintoff 27
AR White c Nixon b Collingwood 38
WK McCallan b Flintoff 5
D Langford-Smith lbw b Flintoff 1
WB Rankin not out 4
Extras (lb3 w9 nb5) 17
Total (48.1 overs) ... 218
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-11, 3-72, 4-116, 5-139, 6-139, 7-197, 8-209, 9-210.
Bowling: Anderson 7-1-35-1 Mahmood 8-2-34-0 Flintoff 8.1-1-43-4 Collingwood 6-0-38-1 Panesar 10-1-31-2 Vaughan 9-0-34-1.
England beat Ireland by 49 runs
