England vs Ireland ODIs: Irish captain Andrew Balbirnie confident of taking on world champions

Bengaluru, July 17: Ireland and England will usher in ODI cricket after a long break when they go against each other on July 30 at Southampton, incidentally the venue of the first Test match after lockdown between the West Indies and England last week.

In fact, all the matches will be held at the Ageas Bowl and the Irish under Andrew Balbirnie will leave from Dublin to Southampton on Saturday (July 18). From Ireland's perspective, this short series is all the more important that it will be a part of the World Cup Super League - the qualification series for the ICC 2023 World Cup.

The cricketing activities are gradually gaining a foothold after a complete halt owing to the Covid 19 pandemic. Even now, the matches are being played under stringent health protocols. The Test series between England and the West Indies is being played behind closed doors and the team are staying in a bio-secure environment.

Balbirnie said they want to make the return to cricket a memorable occasion and asserted that the team has the wherewithal to challenge world champions England, to be led by Eoin Morgan, meaningfully.

"I think every game you play for Ireland there is pressure. It is a World Cup qualifier besides an ODI series against the world champions does bring in some pressure. I think we have shown in the last few months or pre-covid days that when pressure got to us we did perform," Balbirnie told reporters through a Zoom meet on Friday (July 17).

For the series, England will be without some frontline stars like Ben Stokes and the Ireland captain said that factor could be utilised wisely.

"Yes, it's a team that will be inexperienced but there are also some core guys who were there last year when they won the World Cup. Neither team has played any cricket in a long time so it will be interesting to see.

"I am confident. We can compete with them when we are at our best. Leading up to the game we need to hit the ground running. So, there is no reason why we can't go out and beat the world champions in their own backyard," said Balbirnie, who took over as captain in November 2019.

Ireland will also be boosted by the return of all-rounder Mark Adair, who underwent an ankle surgery. Adair was Ireland's top wicket-taker in 2019. "I had met Mark couple of months back and he looked in perfect touch. He can change the game not only with the ball but with the bat too for us. He is quite big for us," said Balbirnie.

As per the existing health protocols, Ireland will be living in a bio-secure bubble and Balbirnie said the on-going Test series between England and West Indies has given them confidence to re-enter the world of competitive cricket.

"It is challenging and unique going into a bio bubble. But having watched the Test match between England West Indies, it gave us a lot of confidence. I am definitely excited. There is a a Christmas Eve feel about it. Playing international cricket against the world champions is an opportunity that we were not sure we were going to get at the start of the summer but work done by ECB and Cricket Ireland is amazing," said Balbirnie.