Jordan Cox secures series win for England but Sonny Baker struggles

It was a less encouraging outing for Sonny Baker, the pace bowler who had endured such a chastening one-day international debut against South Africa earlier this month. This time Baker was making his T20 international debut and he endured another difficult day, conceding 52 runs from his four overs, the third-most expensive analysis by an England bowler on their T20 debut.

Otherwise, the two matches here — the second game was washed out on Friday — have been a useful staging post as England build towards the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, starting in February. Conditions there will be markedly different, but the team is taking shape, and the number of spin options at England’s disposal were in evidence here in Malahide, with Adil Rashid taking three wickets, Liam Dawson two and Rehan Ahmed making his first international appearances of the season.

Bethell did not use his own left-arm spin and Will Jacks was left out to give Cox his chance, but they are two further spin options. Harry Brook is expected to return as captain for the white-ball series in New Zealand next month before the Ashes, along with other multiformat players such as Jofra Archer and Ben Duckett, with a series in Sri Lanka providing the final preparations for the World Cup.

Cox, too, remains in England’s thoughts in all formats of the game. He has returned to the international side after playing a number of eye-catching innings for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred, but he has also enjoyed a successful summer in red-ball cricket, making three centuries in eight County Championship appearances for Essex.

He missed out on making a Test debut when he broke his thumb in the nets in New Zealand and his place was taken by Bethell, who took his chance and is sure to be included in the Ashes squad England will name this week. That setback hit Cox hard and he spent much of the winter with his mother’s family in Sydney licking his wounds.

“I really struggled after New Zealand,” Cox said. “Test cricket was something I’ve always dreamt of doing and still dream about doing, so to get that taken away was really hard. I ended up spending three months in Bondi, but I would have much preferred to play for my country. [I spoke to] close family, friends, a [sports] psych at Essex, but I struggled. People close to me said it would have happened for a reason, so I’ve taken it that way now.”

After being left out for the first game of the series, Cox’s chance came here when England had slipped to 33 for two, Jos Buttler having been brilliantly caught one-handed low to his right by Curtis Campher, while Bethell played two lovely pulls before guiding a third to deep square leg.

Playing only his third T20 international, Cox settled quickly with his crisp timing, following that first pull for six with a drive threaded through cover and a crunching square cut off Campher. He added 57 with Phil Salt and 49 with Tom Banton, bringing up his first international fifty in 31 balls with his fourth six, picked up over midwicket off Barry McCarthy. Only 16 runs were needed when he was bowled on the back foot by the leg spin of Ben White, leaving Banton to see England calmly home.

The only real disappointment had been another difficult outing for Baker, who had been so keen to move on from that mauling at the hands of Aidan Markram on his ODI debut at Headingley. But his two overs with the new ball were taken for 24, then he returned in the latter stages to be given some rough treatment by Gareth Delany, whose unbeaten 48 from 29 balls helped Ireland to pass 150.

Baker was attacked initially by Ross Adair, standing tall and hitting through the line on his way to 33 from 23 balls before he slog-swept Dawson to deep midwicket. Jamie Overton’s pace and bounce accounted for Lorcan Tucker and Campher before Dawson returned to have Harry Tector, Ireland’s most dangerous player, caught reverse-sweeping to short third man.

As so often, Rashid was the foundation stone around which England’s effort with the ball was built. He persuaded Ben Calitz to chip a catch up to cover, then trapped McCarthy leg-before with a googly first ball. His third wicket came when Cox stooped in the deep to cling on to a sweep from Matthew Humphreys, hurting his knee in the process and forcing him to leave the field.

But Cox had been waiting a long time for the chance to revive his England career and although he hobbled through a few singles early in his innings, he was soon back into his stride, guiding England to victory and offering a reminder of his qualities on the international stage.

Click here to read article