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GUEST PREVIEW: Can Ireland Men sustain their momentum going into the one-day series?

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With the conclusion of the two-match T20I series prior to Christmas, Ireland Men and USA Men now turn their attention to a one-day series that will be full of interest and intrigue. Both sides will have a slight refresh with a number of players coming into the respective 50-over squads, and pitch conditions may bring the spinners into a more prominent role as the series goes deeper.
If the touring Irish team were under any illusions that this would be a pleasant trip to the Sunshine State for some relaxation ahead of the West Indies tour, that theory was shattered in the opening T20I when USA registered their first win over a Full Member nation.

Gajanand Singh led the way with 65 runs from 42 balls and shared a 110-run partnership with Sushant Modani as USA recovered from 16-4 to rack up 188-6 after 20 overs. Lorcan Tucker led the way with 57* from 49 balls in response, but Ireland were held well short of the target, going down by 26 runs.

Ireland bounced back to salvage a series draw in the second T20I with Tucker again being the star man with the bat – the Leinster Lightning batter raced to 84 from 56 balls as Ireland posted 150. A much more disciplined bowling performance restricted the USA to only 141-7, with Curtis Campher spearheading the bowling attack with figures of 4-25.

The fast-scoring of Tucker was a welcome boost for Ireland after the recent experience at the T20 World Cup where captain Andrew Balbirnie pinpointed that the boundary count in the middle overs “hasn’t been good enough or consistent enough.”

Tucker hit 17 boundaries over his two innings last week, while accumulating 141 runs, and if one or two more players can emerge as consistent scorers from the ODI series a major tour objective will have been achieved.

Image: Paul Stirling had an uncharacteritic quiet series in the T20Is

For the USA, the most impactful batter during the T20I series was Gajanand Singh, who will also feature in the ODI leg of the tour. Singh scored 87 runs across the two 20-over games, which featured 10 boundaries. Sushent Modani – who also impressed with the bat – will also feature in the ODIs, but perhaps the USA’s biggest gun missed out on the 20 over series due to positive COVID test and will return for the ODI games. Wicketkeeper-batter Jaskaran Malhotra averages 39.12 in his 11 one-day appearances so far and produced an incredible innings of 173* from 124 balls against Papua New Guinea in September. The innings was the highest ODI score ever for a USA batsman and included at one stage six sixes in one over!

Another dangerous addition to the USA batting attack is vice-captain Aaron Jones who also missed the T20I series due to a positive COVID test. Jones averages 33.69 from 14 innings and registered a career-high score of 95 against United Arab Emirates in 2019, the New York-born batter also hit 74 against Scotland in the same year.

The USA bowling attack will be led by Saurabh Netravalkar, a one-time India Under-19s international who has taken 31 career ODI wickets at an average of 16.48. Netravalkar was the bowler who finally dismissed Tucker for 84 in the first T20I and finished the series with figures of 5-59 across the two games.

Alabama-born spinner Nostusha Kenjige will be another new American face for the ODI series and has taken 15 career ODI wickets at an average of 21.53, joining Kenjige in a spin tandem will be Nisarg Patel who took 4 Irish wickets for 56 runs during the T20 series.

Image: Will spin play more of a part as the pitch wears?

Ireland will receive a boost of their own for the ODI series with the likely return of star players such as William Porterfield and George Dockrell. A veteran of 145 ODIs, Porterfield brings a decorated pedigree that includes 11 career centuries and 20 scores of 50+.

While Dockrell is viewed more as a batting all-rounder these days, his variations as a left-arm spinner can be an asset to the side still – and having taken 91 career-scalps to date in ODIs, he will be keen to push further towards the triple-figures. Andy McBrine should also return to the Ireland attack and has a career record of 64 ODI wickets at an average of 33.75 – be brings wicket-taking potential, a decent economy rate with the ball and some quick run-scoring potential with the bat.

With both teams receiving a boost in personnel, the level of play seems set to only ascend when the teams return to the field, with the USA seeming very much a live opponent that should not be written off.

The second ODI game will be played Tuesday 28 December at 10am local time, with the third game being a day/night affair beginning at 2pm US Eastern Time on Thursday 30 December. Both games will be played at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.

The Squads

Ireland Men ODI squad: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, William Porterfield, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.

US Men ODI squad: Monank Patel (Captain), Aaron Jones (Vice-Captain), Ali Khan, Gajanand Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Jaskaran Malhotra, Marty Kain, Nisarg Patel, Nosthush Kenjige, Rahul Jariwala, Ritwik Behera, Saurabh Netravalkar, Steven Taylor, Sushant Modani, Vatsal Vaghela, Xavier Marshall