**ICC World Twenty20, Guyana:**England 120-8 (20 overs) v Ireland 14-1 (3.3 overs) - no result
**England edged into the Super Eight phase of the ICC World Twenty20 after their match with Ireland ended in a no result because of rain in Guyana.**They were restricted to 120-8 with only nine fours and a six, and were indebted to Irish-born Eoin Morgan, who made a composed 45, falling in the final over.
Ireland were 14-1 from three-and-a-half overs in two spells as rain intervened.
Five overs were needed to constitute a match but rain continued and Ireland were eliminated in cruel fashion.
Following the peculiarities of the Duckworth-Lewis method that resulted in defeat against West Indies on Monday, England ended up the recipients of good fortune a day later as the abandonment took them through on run-rate.
They had to avoid defeat against the Irish, but were surprised by both the conditions and the opposition.
Ireland were spirited and tenacious, reminiscent of their infamous 2007 World Cup campaign when they progressed to the Super Eight phase and defeated Pakistan and Bangladesh along the way.
The pitch was different to the one used for Monday’s match with West Indies, when England plundered 10 fours and 11 sixes, but few who witnessed that innings could have imagined that there would be 54 dot balls against Ireland’s part-timers.
Had they seen New Zealand’s rain-affected victory over Zimbabwe earlier in the day, however, they would have noted how Tuesday’s surface favoured the slower bowlers and that there was appreciable movement available for the spinners and seamers.
Things did not start well for Paul Collingwood’s team when they were asked to bat first having lost the toss, bringing back the threat of a surprise Duckworth-Lewis target for their opponents.
Craig Kieswetter might have departed for only two in the third over when teenager George Dockrell spilled a diving attempt at fine-leg having slightly over-run his intrepid quest for the catch.
Andre Botha then spilled a routine slip catch, much to Trent Johnston’s horror, when Kieswetter edged on six, but from the first ball of the next over Ireland struck when Michael Lumb flicked Kevin O’Brien’s opening delivery off his pads and the angular Boyd Rankin pouched the low chance at short fine leg.
Rain has spoilt Ireland’s chances after a spirited bowling performance. In my opinion without the rain England would have won both games, but they might have lost both and be out
Kieswetter’s luck ran out when he called for a suicidal run having hit straight to short mid-wicket, Kevin Pietersen rightly refused and the wicketkeeper-batsman was given out after lengthy video referrals which finally concluded his bat had bounced into the air when he dived for his crease as Niall O’Brien whipped off the bails.
Three balls later Collingwood edged a sharply seaming leg-cutter from Johnston, Botha this time made no mistake with the slip catch and in sharp contrast to the 60-1 against the West Indies, England closed the powerplay phase on 32-3.
In the 10th over Pietersen, never in command against Dockrell’s accurate flighted left-arm spin, departed in a near carbon copy of his dismissal against the West Indies on Monday when he pulled Kevin O’Brien straight to deep mid-wicket, and at the halfway stage England were just 49-4.
England’s anxiety was evident as Dockrell sent down five dot balls and Wright, in his desperation, top-edged a sweep that landed between the keeper and the third man fielder.
Wright thumped O’Brien down the ground for the solitary six of the innings from the final ball of the 16th over but fell two balls later as Rankin returned and the Sussex all-rounder could only spoon off the toe end of the bat to extra cover.
England’s first 50 took 62 balls but with Morgan chipping intelligently into the gaps with typical efficiency, the second was brought up in 44 as the 100 was eventually recorded in the 18th over.
There was little opportunity for improvisation but one notable moment followed when Rankin sent a full toss well wide of off-stump and Morgan somehow managed to get outside the ball and flip it over his shoulder to the fine-leg fence.
His partners were not providing the support required, however, and Tim Bresnan, after an inside-edge through the keeper’s legs, lofted straight to long-off, before in the final over Morgan mis-timed a drive at a leg-cutter and found long-on, and Michael Yardy was run out by a superb direct hit from the indefatigable Johnston from the deep.
Ireland had a shade more than a run-a-ball to chase, but eight deliveries into their reply the heavens opened again and the threat of more Duckworth-Lewis controversy returned, although no overs were lost after the short delay.
The resumption lasted only 13 balls, but in that time Lumb produced a great catch, sprinting 20 yards along the square leg boundary before diving full stretch to take Paul Stirling’s pull shot.
Rain returned, there was a brief lull during which a target of 47 more runs from 33 balls was announced but the resumption needed to be made by 2159 BST and with showers continuing the match was abandoned.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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