ENG vs IRE: England Cricket Team will take on Ireland in a one-off Test match at Lords, starting from June 1. The English Team will be looking for good preparations as the much anticipated Ashes is around the corner. Meanwhile, the England team will be without the services of a couple of key bowlers in the game against the Irish team.
England's James Anderson and Ollie Robinson have been ruled out of the Test match against Ireland. The duo are recovering from injuries they suffered in the County Championship matches. Anderson suffered a groin injury when he was playing for Lancashire in a game against Somerset. Whereas Robinson got an Achilles tendon irritation while playing for Sussex against Glamorgan.
The head coach of England Brendon McCullum confirmed the development. He said that Anderson and Robinson won't be able to play in the Ireland Test but he is optimistic that they will be available for the Ashes series. "We've got a couple of niggles, so we're just monitoring those at the moment. Every team that goes into a series has got a couple of little things that you need to work through, but we're pretty confident we'll have a good squad to be able to pick from," McCullum told Sky Sports.
"For the first Ashes Test, I think (Anderson and Robinson) should be fit. They won't be fit for this one against Ireland. We'll just have to monitor it over this next sort of while, but we've got some great options right throughout the squad," he added.
Meanwhile, he is also confident that the Test captain Ben Stokes will be able to bowl at some part in the English summer. "Stokesy is progressing well too. He looks really fit as well, looks in great order and has a big smile on his face. He is delighted to be back around the group and as our leader, having that sort of energy he brings is fantastic, so again we'll monitor that and see what happens," McCullum said on Stokes.
"I think he'll bowl at some stage throughout the summer, yeah, no doubt. He is a world-class allrounder and if he is able to bowl, fantastic. If not, we'll find a way," McCullum added.
The Test match against Ireland is a four-day affair, starting from June 1. England will then face Australia in a five-match Ashes series at home.
England's squad for Ireland Test:
Ben Stokes (c), Ollie Pope (vc & wk), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Joe Root, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Jack Leach, Zak Crawley, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Josh Tongue.
