Ireland lower-order batters Mark Adair and Andy McBrine put up a valiant record-breaking stand of 163 runs for the 7th wicket in the 2nd innings against a formidable England bowling attack to avoid innings defeat by the hosts in Lords Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Ireland ended the second day on 97-3, as the team bundled out for 172 in their first innings and conceded 524-4 the England batters were all over the top of the Ireland bowlers as they dominated the proceedings in the game from the start of the game.
McBrine came to the crease when Ireland was struggling at 162/5, as it looked that England would bowl them for an inning defeat in the one-off test, but he and Mark Adair pulled off an outstanding partnership of 163 runs taking on England pacers, scoring to quick pace to give their pride to compete against the big teams in International Cricket.
TOP 3 PARTNERSHIPS FOR IRELAND IN TESTS
163 – Mark Adair and Andy McBrine vs England – Lord’s 2023
115 not out – Andy Balbirnie and Paul Stirling vs Sri Lanka – Galle 2023
114 – Kevin O’Brien and Stuart Thompson vs Pakistan – Malahide, 2018
McBrine scored his second Test fifty and also his highest score in red-ball cricket for Ireland and he remained unbeaten at 86 falling short of his maiden century. His knock of 86* was laced with 14 boundaries, as the home bowled out Ireland for 362 runs, to give 12 runs to win the game for the Ben Stokes-led side on Day 3.
Andy McBrine has been a proper all-rounder for the Ireland team in test cricket as he scored 276 runs in six Test matches at an average of 25.09 including his career-best knock of 86* against England in the iconic Lord Stadium in the one-off test. He has scalped 14 wickets in six Tests with a solitary fifer.
Speaking to media, after the loss against England Andy Balbirnie revealed that McCollum had a sore in his leg, as he could walk on to bat for the final wicket to help Andy McBrine score his maiden century in the test cricket and said that Ireland opener could have walked into a bat if he was McBrine is just one hit away scoring a hundred.
“Andy came in at tea and said he doesn’t want him to bat. They’re good mates and he [McCollum] is sore. He didn’t want him to hobble out on the boot, but it was eventually agreed that if it was one hit away, he would go out, and just hold up an end.”
Balbirinie is proud of his team’s performance against the higher-ranked England, as the team has shown a lot of character to make a comeback in the 2nd innings and reckons that the team played their best cricket in the 2nd half of the game.
“We’ve shown in our Test career that we have that character – and that bouncebackability – but unfortunately for us, it’s when our backs are against the wall, that’s almost when we seem to produce our best cricket.”
Ireland team will next play the ODI World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe as they will look to push above their limits to qualify for the ODI World Cup, later in India.