A half-century from Jordan Cox and three-fer from spinner Adil Rashid were the highlights as England defeated Ireland in the third T20I by six wickets in Dublin on Sunday. England clinched a commanding 2-0 series victory against Ireland in the third T20, thanks to an assured and match-winning knock of 55 from Jordan Cox and three-wicket haul from Adil Rashid. With a rain-affected match and a revised target of 155 runs, England managed to ease past the target with 17 balls remaining.
After the first match saw Phil Salt steer the tourists to victory and the second match washed out, this was England’s chance to seal the deal. Jordan Cox, who had been sidelined for several months due to injury, delivered a masterclass in chase-building, ensuring England’s first-ever T20 series win over Ireland. Jordan Cox’s return to the international fold after nearly a year was marked by a composed, professional performance under pressure.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch report : ” There’s a bit grass cover, so there will be bounce for seamers. A really good batting surface, so no surprise that England want to chase because it’ll be really hard to defend out here today. I think it’s a really good toss to win and bowl first,” reckons Isobel Joyce.
Toss : England skipper Jacob Bethell won the toss and chose to bowl with Sonny Baker making his T20I debut. Ireland skipper Paul Stirling batting first made 2 changes in the playing XI as Benjamin Calitz making his T20I debut and Benjamin White comes in for Graham Hume.
Adil Rashid’s 3-fer helps England dominate as Ireland batters fails to fire
Put in to bat, Ireland got off to a quick start with Ross Adair taking apart Sonny Baker in the third over. He started the over by thumping a short delivery down the ground for a six before drilling a couple of boundaries. However, England hit back by dismissing the openers in quick succession.
Once Adair fell to Rehan Ahmed in the seventh over, Ireland suffered a brief collapse with Lorcan Tucker and Curtis Campher failing to make an impact, and reducing the hosts to 58 for 4. Benjamin Calitz and Harry Tector steadied the innings briefly, giving the odd charge, but Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid again put breaks to their momentum with three quick strikes.
Dawson struck in the Powerplay, having Paul Stirling caught behind on review, then had Harry Tector caught on the reverse-sweep. Rashid was slog-swept for six by Ireland debutant Ben Calitz but had him caught off the top edge looking to repeat the trick, then trapped Barry McCarthy lbw first-ball. From 102 for 7, only Gareth Delany prevented Ireland being bowled out.
Although Sonny Baker had an off-day, conceding 52 runs in his 4 overs without a wicket, the spinners’ combined efforts were instrumental in slowing down Ireland’s scoring rate. The middle order never got the chance to build momentum, with only Gareth Delany‘s 48-run knock offering any resistance.
Even as there wasn’t much contribution from Ireland’s lower order, Gareth Delany’s unbeaten 29-ball 48 took the hosts to a respectable total. He also took down Baker, smashing a boundary and two sixes off successive deliveries in the 17th over. Baker had an off day and eventually conceded 52 runs from his four-over spell as Ireland managed to cross the 150-run mark.
Ireland’s batting line-up was stifled by England’s disciplined bowling attack, which successfully restricted the hosts to just 155 runs, a target that never seemed likely to be defended. Adil Rashid was the standout bowler for England, returning figures of 3 wickets for 29 runs, displaying his customary control in the middle overs. Jamie Overton and Liam Dawson, too, were highly effective, claiming 2 wickets each and keeping the pressure on Ireland throughout their innings.
Conditions in Dublin’s coastal suburbs could hardly have been further removed from those that these teams will encounter at February’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The run-chase was delayed by nearly an hour due to squally showers, and the temperature peaked at just 13 degrees Celsius on a bitingly cold day.
But on a surface being used for the second time in five days, England stuck to the spin-heavy formula that they will employ at that tournament. Though Jamie Overton showed what might have been for the quicks with 2 for 17 in four economical overs, they were vindicated in doing so. Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson have been ever-present across England’s seven T20Is this summer and returned combined figures of 5 for 38 from six overs, while Rehan Ahmed had Ross Adair caught on the slog-sweep after an explosive cameo of 33 off 23 balls.
Jordan Cox’s calm maiden half century steers England to T20I series victory
A spell of rain ensured a late start to England’s chase, but no overs were lost. Ireland made an impressive start with Campher taking a sensational catch at short cover to send back Jos Buttler in the second over. Jacob Bethell, who made a promising start, by cracking three boundaries, was also sent back early as he dragged a pull to the square leg fielder early in the fifth over.
After a rain delay in between innings, England’s chase began under tricky conditions, and the early loss of Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell left them at 57/2 after the powerplay
Nonetheless, England didn’t allow Ireland to impose themselves with Jordan Cox going after their bowlers from the start. He helped Craig Young’s short delivery over fine leg off the second ball and then cover drove the pacer for a boundary. In the next over, he meted out a similar treatment to Campher.
Jordan Cox was declared legbefore soon after the PowerPlay ended, but he had the decision overturned with a review. Jordan Cox ensured there was no break in the pace with which the runs flew from thereon. In the next over, Benjamin White was put away for 19, and by the time Phil Salt was dismissed edging one to the ‘keeper in the 10th over, England were left needing less than run-a-ball.
Ireland couldn’t pose enough threat to the visitors as Tom Banton and Jordan Cox continued the charge. Jordan Cox brought up his maiden T20I half-century with a six over deep mid wicket. Even as he was cleaned up by White in the 16th over, England had little trouble overhauling the target.
However, Jordan Cox, making his return to the T20 side after an injury-plagued year, showed remarkable composure. With England in need of stability, Jordan Cox provided it in abundance, playing with poise and aggression. His 55 runs, including a blistering six over the grandstand, helped England regain control of the chase.
Jordan Cox’s professionalism, despite hobbling slightly due to an earlier knee injury, shone through, as he peppered the boundaries with ease. Jordan Cox’s knock, which took England within sight of victory, was a defining moment in the series and a fitting reward for his perseverance after a challenging period on the sidelines.
Presentations and Road Ahead for Ireland and England
Paul Striling the losing skipper said : We got to take a lot of positives from this week. It’s a shame we couldn’t get all three games in. The groundstaff did really well to get us going. We’ll take a lot from the first innings, 150-odd on the board, feel like that’s going to be enough in trickier batting conditions. When you play against England, you don’t exactly know what’s a winning score.
When you take the two first innings in isolation from the two games, there was a lot of good stuff there. Against a different team, you’re in the game with both of the scores to be honest. We were probably about 15 short today but I am proud the way our lads performed and stayed in the game. We’ll take each step as it comes. Next games against Bangladesh, we’ve got to look to improve.
There’s no surprise with how we’ve gone. In patches we have been good and in patches, we haven’t. We have plenty of cricket coming up in the build up to the World Cup. They (Ireland fans) have been amazing, we are very lucky, we really appreciate the love and hopefully they support us all the way through the winter as well.
Jacob Bethell the winning England skipper said : Couldn’t have dreamt of it any better. That rained out game was a bit unfortunate. To come out on top in my first series (as captain) is a great feeling. We were nice and aggressive throughout the whole week. Today the conditions were slightly different to what we’ve seen in the first game.
Just that nice aggressive nature. We wanted to carry on that momentum from South Africa and we managed to do that pretty well. It’s cool that you get both ends of the spectrum. Playing in big grounds and then coming here and playing somewhere like Malahide was a great feeling, definitely something I would love to do again.
Adil Rashid Player of the Match for his 3 wickets said : There was a bit of purchase there for the spinners. We bowled exceptionally well as a unit, we adapted well. Credit goes to Ireland as well to score 150-odd. Overall, we’re quite pleased with how we went as a bowling group. Whichever ground you go to, you got to adapt to the conditions and situations. As a group, we did really well.
We are all looking forward to that (2026 T20 World Cup), it’s going to be a good one, it’s going to be tough. Exciting time for England as a group. I take it a game at a time, I don’t look too far ahead, things can change very quickly. I try to enjoy the moment and see where life takes me, I am enjoying the journey as well.
Philip Salt Player of the Series said : Â It’s been a brilliant trip. To come and get the win today and win the series, that’s the cherry on top. It’s been a brilliant week for us. We’ve got a lot of cricket coming up, New Zealand next. (On Irish performance) Bags of talent, I know a lot of the guys fairly well. I knew it’d be a stiff competition especially in their own conditions.
Really pleased to come away with a win. We’ve got a lot of players who have played a lot of cricket there (in the subcontinent). That’s going to be a massive factor (in the T20 World Cup). For the time being, we get time off now and then next mission is New Zealand. Don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.
Jordan Cox has spent the past 10 months desperate for another chance in international cricket and grasped this end-of-season opportunity. He cracked 55 off 35 balls at a sold-out Malahide, setting up another comfortable England win to seal this series 2-0, after their spinners restricted Ireland to 154.
Named in squads across formats last summer, Jordan Cox’s first five England innings revealed an apparent vulnerability against the short ball and brought him just 39 runs. He was on the cusp of a Test debut in New Zealand last November when he fractured his thumb in the nets, and later sought help from a psychologist to help him get over the disappointment of being ruled out of the series.
But he has thrived for Essex this year – he has hit three hundreds in the County Championship and one in the Blast – and was a late addition to this squad after he was named MVP in the Hundred. Handed his chance in Dublin, with Oval Invincibles team-mate Sam Curran absent on best-man duties at a friend’s wedding, Cox produced his first convincing knock in an England shirt.
Jordan Cox’s partnerships of 57 and 49 with Phil Salt and Tom Banton respectively removed any sense of jeopardy from England’s chase after Curtis Campher’s stunning early catch – diving full-stretch to his right at short extra cover – removed Jos Buttler for a second-ball duck. Cox batted through discomfort after jarring his knee while taking a catch; his only frustration was that he could not quite take England home himself.
Instead, it was Banton who calmly knocked the winning single into the leg side to seal a six-wicket win with 17 balls unused and duly finishing unbeaten on 37. The singular blemish for England was a second unconvincing white-ball debut of the month for Sonny Baker, whose first four overs in T20Is cost 52 runs.
Clinical performance from England. Their bowlers did a good job to restrict Ireland to 154. The hosts struggled for momentum on a slow-ish track and it was Delany’s 29-ball 48* which took them to a respectable total. The run-chase was delayed due to rain but no overs were lost. England were never really under any sort of pressure while chasing. Campher took a blinder to dismiss Buttler for a duck. Jacob Bethell, at three, batted positively before holing out for 15.
Jordan Cox came out all guns blazing and quickly overtook Salt as England scored 57 runs for the loss of 2 wickets in the powerplay. The duo forged a 57-run stand with Cox being the aggressor. Campher broke the partnership as Salt nicked off. While Jordan Cox raised his maiden T20I fifty off 31 deliveries, Banton played some delightful strokes and hit the winning runs as England wrapped up the proceedings with 17 balls to spare.
Young Bethell, in his first series as England captain, collects the trophy and joins his team-mates as they pose for the photographs. All smiles in the England camp. England 2 – 0 Ireland.
A predictable scoreline with the second game getting washed out. A really good experience for the Irish side who got to lock horns against a strong England side. Their next assignment is in Bangladesh in November where they’ll be playing 2 Tests followed by 3 T20Is. England, on the other hand, will be travelling to New Zealand in less than a month for 3 T20Is and 3 ODIs.
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