Cross leads youthful England to win over Ireland

First ODI, Belfast

Ireland 210 (46.5 overs): Prendergast 76 (87); Cross 6-30

England 211-6 (34.5 overs): Armitage 44 (44); Prendergast 2-27

England won by 4 wickets

Scorecard

Kate Cross' career-best figures of 6-30 and 38 not retired helped a youthful England broadside to a four-wicket triumph implicit Ireland successful the archetypal one-day planetary successful Belfast.

England reached their people of 210 with 15.1 overs to spare, with skipper Cross' highest ODI people rescuing them from a precarious 156-6.

An inexperienced England broadside which included 5 debutants was boosted by Tammy Beaumont's inclusion astatine the apical of the order, but she could lone negociate 10 arsenic chap opener Emma Lamb besides fell cheaply for four.

But debutants Hollie Armitage and Paige Scholfield impressively steadied the pursuit with a third-wicket basal of 62, though the inexperience did creep successful with regular wickets falling successful the mediate earlier Cross and Heath's match-winning basal of 55.

England's debutants were Armitage and Mady Villiers successful their archetypal ODI outings, portion Scholfield and 20-year-olds Hannah Baker and Ryana MacDonald-Gay made their afloat planetary debuts.

Earlier, Ireland were bowled retired for 210 successful 46.5 overs, squandering a coagulated presumption of 151-3 with 20 overs remaining.

All-rounder Orla Prendergast shone with 76 from 87 balls, adding important stands of 53 with Amy Hunter and 77 with Leah Paul.

But Prendergast's departure to Cross stalled the scoring complaint and Ireland struggled for little bid contributions, losing their past 7 wickets for conscionable 61 runs and settling for a below-par total.

It is Cross' archetypal clip captaining her country, with a new-look radical sent to Ireland separately to the T20 squad that volition question to the United Arab Emirates successful October.

The 2nd ODI of the three-match bid takes spot connected Monday astatine the aforesaid venue, with 2 T20s to travel successful Clontarf, Dublin.

Cross has led England's seam onslaught for the past fewer years and astatine 32, is 1 of accustomed skipper Heather Knight's astir reliable performers.

But connected captaincy debut, she relished the work fixed to pb an breathtaking but inexperienced radical by mounting her ain precocious standards successful each aspects of the game.

She had opener Una Raymond-Hoey bowled successful the archetypal implicit to acceptable the code with her unwavering enactment and length, perfectly contrasting with Lauren Filer's earthy gait astatine the different end, which troubled Ireland's batters consistently.

Leg-spinner Baker and seamer MacDonald-Gay picked up their archetypal planetary wickets, the erstwhile breaking the third-wicket concern by having Amy Hunter caught astatine screen for a good 37.

Cross past brought herself backmost into the onslaught astatine the cleanable clip to region Prendergast, who batted with astonishing power and assurance earlier chipping a slower shot to mid-off.

From there, she was dominant, taking the past 4 wickets crossed 2 overs to exploit Ireland's lower-order fragility.

Without Prendergast - who besides removed some England openers successful a fiery opening spell with the shot - it would person been a atrocious batting show and Ireland indispensable enactment to debar their dependence upon the all-rounder for the remainder of the series.

While Cross led the way, the assurance of England's debutants shone through.

Armitage and Scholfield, astatine 27 and 28 respectively, would beryllium considered veterans of England's home crippled but had not breached done internationally.

Forming an assured concern aft some openers were mislaid early, they played with affirmative aggression and showed the benefits of accrued professionalism successful the home game.

Neither was overawed by the occasion, partially successful acknowledgment to their experiences successful beforehand of large crowds during The Hundred, arsenic Armitage top-scored with a run-a-ball 44 and Scholfield adding a invaluable 31 from 33 balls.

Both would person been frustrated to propulsion their wickets distant successful consecutive overs to permission England 96-4, with Armitage caught astatine screen and Scholfield holing retired successful the deep.

The different debutants were besides composed, with Baker bowling her 10 overs for 53 and MacDonald-Gay finishing with 1-30 from her 8 and besides taking a catch.

Villiers, who has played 17 T20s for England, finished wicketless and lone made 13 with the bat, volition beryllium hoping for betterment alongside openers Beaumont and Lamb.

But with Heath besides playing lone her 2nd ODI and Filer successful conscionable her eighth, the benignant and assurance with which England played suggests a agleam future.

Ireland skipper Gaby Lewis, speaking to Cricket Ireland: "It was a below-par show from us. We person got to travel backmost stronger.

"There were positives, Orla was brilliant, but we request to marque definite we instrumentality our opportunities and physique partnerships with the bat erstwhile we get in."

England skipper and subordinate of the lucifer Kate Cross, speaking to Cricket Ireland: "I had a small spot much to deliberation astir with captaincy but it made maine instrumentality work with our 5 debutants.

"We haven't had loads of clip unneurotic but they did truthful good to rally astir each other, it was a large effort."