It will be the clash of neighbours as England face Ireland in match 20 of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday, October 26. While England start favourites for the match at the ‘G’, Ireland would look to create a big upset.

The match at the MCG will be a must-win match for Ireland to stay in the race for a semi-final spot after the Andy Balbirnie side lost their opening Super 12 match against Sri Lanka. But Ireland is known to create big upsets in the ICC events and no one knows that better than England. In the 2011 50-over World Cup Ireland defeated England to stage one of their most famous wins.

England started their Super 12 campaign on a winning note as they thumped Afghanistan by 5 wickets. Their bowling was in top form as Sam Curran became the first English bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul in T20Is. Mark Wood also breathed fire against the Afghans. But their batting did look shaky, especially in front of the spinners. They will look to iron out that aspect of their game going ahead in the tournament.

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Ireland come into this match after facing a convincing 9-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka. Their top four in Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector need to put up a solid batting performance if they are to pose some tight competition to England. Spinners Gareth Delany and George Dockrell can have their say in the contest as the square boundaries are big at the MCG.

However, the form and quality of England clearly make them the favourites in the match. Expect them to win big and improve their NRR.

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Form Guide (last five matches)

England: W-NR-W-W-W

Ireland: L-W-W-L-W

England vs Ireland (Head to Head)

Matches played: 1

England: 0

Ireland: 0

NR: 1

Pitch

The pitch at the ‘G’ will offer pace and bounce to the fast bowlers. Shot-making will get easier after the new-ball spell.

Weather conditions

There are chances of rain in Melbourne on Wednesday. The temperatures will hover between 19° C to 14° C.

Possible XIs

England possible XI

Jos Buttler (C & WK), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Ireland possible XI

Paul Sterling, Andy Balbirnie (C), Lorcan Tucker (WK), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little

Top Fantasy Pick suggestions

Batters: Dawid Malan, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone

Wicketkeeper: Jos Buttler, Lorcan Tucker

All-rounders: Sam Curran. Ben Stokes, George Dockrell

Bowlers: Mark Wood, Josh Little, Gareth Delany

Betting Odds (paddy power)

England: 1/14

Ireland: 7/1

Where to watch

The match begins at 9:30 AM IST. In India, the match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network. Online viewers can follow the live-action via Disney+Hotstar.