Lord's 2.0: Ireland return to iconic venue for epic battle against England

The last time Ireland made their Lord's appearance in the Test whites against England was in July 2019. Since then, Andy Balbirnie's side has featured in three additional Tests – one against Bangladesh and two against Sri Lanka – earlier this year.

They are yet to register their first-ever Test win or draw, having lost all their six encounters since becoming a Full Member nation despite their spirited performances.

Ireland's first Lord's appearance four years ago turned out to be a memorable affair. Despite losing the Test by a 143-run margin, they were dominant in the first session with both ball and bat. They would be hoping to replicate their first innings exploits as well as exhibit an improved second innings performance in their much-anticipated assignment.

However, Ireland have gone through significant changes in the last four years with some of their experienced players' retirement – Kevin O'Brien, former captain William Porterfield, wicket-keeper Gary Wilson, and experienced pacers Tim Murtagh and Boyd Rankin – who all were part of the previous Lord's Test.

England, too, have gone through a transformation under the leadership of coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. The 'Bazball' approach has evidently made them a formidable side in Test cricket lately, having brought 10 wins from 12 Tests.

With a home Ashes series fast approaching, England will be looking to use this Test as a vital part of their preparations for the clash against their arch-rivals Australia.

England bring a wealth of experience to the table in Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, and Jonny Bairstow, as well as promising young talents in Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, and Matthew Potts. They have also named uncapped Josh Tongue to their XI.

SCORECARD

Recalling their previous Lord's encounter, Ireland will go into this Test against England with a lot of confidence. They headlined the action on the opening day of the 2019 Test by bowling England out for 85 in the first innings courtesy of Tim Murtagh's impressive 5/13 from just nine overs.

With the bat, they fought back with a score of 207 and a lead of 122. It was in the second outing that Ireland crumbled with the bat after England set them a target of 182. They could only manage 38 runs in response, falling short by 143.

**England XI:**Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue (debut), Jack Leach.

**Ireland squad:**Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Matthew Foster, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, James McCollum, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.

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