Ben Foakes has a handy knack of delivering on debut. And so while he may not be part of England’s World Cup plans, the wicketkeeper with the brightest of smiles still ensured this all-important summer did not get off to the most troubling of starts.
Given the opprobrium surrounding the Alex Hales affair leading into this one-off ODI against Ireland, Eoin Morgan needed a response on the field; a reminder that, while seven first-team players may have been missing due to rest or injury, there still sits a solid base beneath the world’s No 1 ranked side.
What followed was far from convincing, however, as in pursuit of 199 in a 45-over match the tourists stumbled to 101 for six in the 27th. Josh Little, a 19-year-old left-armer, had snared four victims and, with Tom Curran for company at No 8 amid a long tail, all eyes were on Foakes to dig them out of an almighty hole.
The gloveman’s temperament had already been established with a century on his Test debut in Sri Lanka over the winter. Here, despite knowing he will make way when Jos Buttler returns, he delivered an unbeaten 61 that, allied with 47 not out from Curran, took England to a four-wicket win with 18 balls to spare. Both men had brushes with disaster along the way. Foakes should have been given out lbw on 37, while Curran was dropped by Lorcan Tucker in the deep on 39. Nevertheless their stand of 98 in 15 overs was ice-cool in its execution, not least given the top-order collapse that had preceded it.
England simply had no answer to Little, a slippery southpaw with a mean bouncer. His first victim, James Vince on 18, came via a stunning diving catch from George Dockrell at mid-wicket but his second was all about the bowler, as Morgan gloved a snorting lifter behind to start this World Cup summer with a duck.
Sandwiched in between was Joe Root’s dismissal – lbw to Tim Murtagh in familiar fashion – before Little picked up another debutant, Dawid Malan, caught behind for 24 having struggled between the wickets with an apparent groin strain.
Joe Denly then picked out mid-wicket off Boyd Rankin, before Little returning in the 27th to claim his fourth as David Willey holed out attempting to relieve some pressure.
If the batting disappointed in the main, the bowlers at least impressed. The debate over England’s World Cup seamers was never going to be settled here. But what can be said is that some of those threatened by Jofra Archer’s fast-tracked promotion are not going to simply wave the newcomer through.
To Archer first. The 23-year-old may have seen his qualification cut from seven years down to three but the nerves he admitted to before the toss – delayed by two hours due to a damp outfield – were understandable. Thrown the new ball, his first delivery in international cricket was driven square for four by Paul Stirling.
An initial spell of four overs, none for 21 was tidy enough though. His speeds were promising, touching 90mph, as he strove to find the right length. But it was his second spell that caught the eye, both through greater deployment of his variations and a scorching yorker that detonated Mark Adair’s off stump when the No 8 was threatening a telling counterattack.
But for all the delight of watching Archer’s effortless action, he was not the standout among Morgan’s attack, with the Surrey pairing of Liam Plunkett and Curran sharing seven wickets for 70 runs, splitting the runs in half with the former picking up the extra wicket. Plunkett’s worth has been debated of late amid scrutiny over his recent bowling speeds, while some have pondered whether Curran, for all his abundance of skill, offers a significant point of difference.
Here Curran kept his tricks up his sleeve and settled in on a nagging length, breaking an opening stand of 55 between Stirling and William Porterfield when the former chipped to a diving Archer at mid-on.
Plunkett, who made technical adjustments and was bowling in the mid 80s, then capitalised, snaring the Irish captain down the side leg before a smart slower ball that stuck in the surface saw Loran Tucker chip to extra cover. When Curran claimed his second thanks to a flying catch by Denly at backward point, it sent the dangerous Kevin O’Brien packing and left Ireland 77 for four.
From there it was over to England’s two leg-spinners. Adil Rashid claimed one for 27 from his allocated nine overs – Gary Wilson edging a googly to slip – while Denly, playing his first ODI for 10 years, also claimed his maiden scalp in the format. There was some debate over it. Foakes stumped Andy Balbirnie when the right-hander missed a sweep. But with the wicketkeeper waiting a good while for the back leg to lift, the Irish voices in the press box felt it stretched the concept of fair play and comparisons with a Mankad dismissal followed.
With Curran and Plunkett snuffing out the tail England’s mission looked straightforward. Only Willey went wicketless but it was more misfortune than misfiring. The same cannot be said for England’s top order, however.