Jacob Bethell’s England captaincy off to rocky start as Ireland impress with bat

Jacob Bethell’s record-breaking outing as England’s youngest men’s captain got off to a rocky start in Malahide, as Ireland ran up 196 for three in the first T20.

Bethell, leading in Harry Brook’s absence at the age of 21, led out a side with eight bowling options but saw a confident Irish outfit take the game on with gusto.

Having won the toss and sent the hosts in, Bethell saw opposite number Paul Stirling and Ross Adair set the tone with an attacking opening stand worth 57.

Both men holed out to spin, Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid the beneficiaries, but Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector picked up seamlessly with a 123-run partnership off just 68 balls.

Tector finished 61 not out, with Tucker nicking Jamie Overton’s penultimate delivery of the innings behind for 55.

That brought George Dockrell to the crease for exactly one ball, a full toss which he promptly hammered all the way over the mid-wicket boundary. That was Ireland’s 12th six of the day, with the big-hitting Stirling and Tucker helping themselves to four each.

England’s attack, without the rested Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse, looked short of menace on a true pitch. Sam Curran was taken for 43 in four overs, routinely hit off a length and failing to strike with his trademark slower balls, and Overton’s allocation went for 40.

Rashid was a little short of his best, seeing a pair of loopy full tosses smashed into the stands, but out-bowled left-armer Liam Dawson.

Rehan Ahmed, carded to bat at four on his first England appearance of the year, was handed just one over by Bethell, conceding nine.