England v Ireland: Mark Adair and Andrew McBrine make hosts wait for Lord's win

England yet overcame a spirited fightback by Ireland to triumph the one-off Test astatine Lord's by 10 wickets.

When Ireland mislaid their sixth wicket, efficaciously their seventh due to the fact that opener James McCollum was absent injured, they inactive needed 190 runs to marque England bat again.

But fig 9 Adair repeatedly flogged the shot done the limb broadside and McBrine played immoderate high-class strokes successful a seventh-wicket concern of 163 - Ireland's highest for immoderate wicket successful Tests.

Though Adair yet feathered Matthew Potts down and gait bowler Josh Tongue completed a five-wicket haul connected his Test debut, past antheral Graham Hume pushed Ireland into the pb to the delight of a Lord's assemblage anxious to spot arsenic overmuch cricket arsenic possible.

Ireland were yet dismissed for 362 erstwhile Hume was bowled by Stuart Broad, leaving McBrine stranded and England needing 11 to win.

Zak Crawley scored each of them successful 4 balls to seal triumph successful England's last Test earlier the Ashes bid against Australia which begins connected 16 June astatine Edgbaston.

Before then, attraction turns to the Australians and their World Test Championship last against India astatine The Oval, starting connected Wednesday.

• England bushed Ireland - relive the champion clips from time three
• All our Ashes regular representation quizzes successful 1 place

Ireland clasp up serene Ashes preparation

The heroics of Adair and McBrine disrupted what had different been a straightforward week for England, an Ashes tune-up for a squad successful ultimate signifier and brimming with confidence.

But, successful 1 sense, the effort of the seventh-wicket brace is the astir utile happening to travel retired of the crippled for England - runs flowing successful conditions doing thing for bowlers is overmuch much akin to what the hosts volition brushwood successful the Ashes than the mismatched matter up to that point.

Though that basal was frustrating for the hosts, the wide mode of their triumph shows however overmuch amended placed they are for the upcoming Ashes bid than the 2-2 gully with Australia 4 years ago, which was besides preceded by a crippled against the Irish.

On that occasion, a overmuch stronger Ireland squad gave England a immense scare by bowling them retired for 85, earlier yet going down to a 143-run loss.

This time, a settled England squad volition caput to Edgbaston grooved by 11 wins successful 13 Tests. They person named an unchanged 16-man squad for the archetypal 2 Ashes matches.

The lone large question hanging implicit England - that of skipper Ben Stokes' fittingness - remains. He showed discomfort successful his near genu erstwhile helium took a drawback and became the archetypal skipper successful Test past to preside implicit a triumph without batting, bowling oregon keeping wicket.

England yet interruption Irish spirit

At 97-3 overnight and with McCollum ruled retired of the lucifer with an ankle injury, Ireland inactive needed 255 to marque England bat again.

Irish combat initially came done 51 from Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker's 44 but, erstwhile Curtis Campher swept Joe Root to the wincing Stokes, the crippled was connected people to beryllium done by lunch.

Then came the amusive engineered by Adair and McBrine. Former Warwickshire antheral Adair muscled thing helium could into the connected side. Twice Root's off-spin was heaved for six. When England tried to vessel short, helium played ramps and guides to 3rd man, with 1 specified deft interaction bringing up a 47-ball half-century.

Left-hander McBrine crunched saccharine drives done the disconnected broadside and brought up his ain 50 from 77 balls by reverse-sweeping the left-arm rotation of Jack Leach.

England's bowlers could find nary mode to halt the leak arsenic runs came astatine a six an over. In the extremity it took a mistake from Adair, who was trying to usher a Potts bouncer to 3rd man, for the breakthrough.

Hand hung astir earlier edging to 2nd gaffe to springiness Tongue the champion figures by an England seamer connected debut since 2017 and Hume's back-to-back boundaries disconnected Root dragged the lucifer into a 4th innings.

Hume looked similar helium could enactment McBrine to a deserved period and spot connected the Lord's honours board, lone for Broad to get 1 done the gross with the 2nd caller ball. The remainder was a formality.

Cheer astatine extremity of pugnacious week for hamstrung Irish

It is hard to begrudge the Irish their Saturday successful the sun. Just making England bat again was a good accomplishment astatine the extremity of a hard week for a squad that is not arsenic beardown arsenic the 1 that came adjacent to an unthinkable upset successful 2019.

Ireland person been hamstrung by their schedule. Even if purists would beryllium horrified astatine the proposition that this month's World Cup qualifier is much important than a Lord's Test to Irish cricket, it is inactive true.

That tourney successful Zimbabwe led to the determination to remainder cardinal left-arm pacer Josh Little, who was playing successful the last of the Indian Premier League connected Monday. Ireland's onslaught was crying retired for his wound arsenic England racked up 524-4 declared successful the archetypal innings.

This is the 4th Test Ireland person played this year, riches compared to the 3 they managed successful the erstwhile five.

Ireland's adjacent Test is apt to beryllium distant successful Zimbabwe this winter, a tenable accidental to yet grounds a archetypal Test triumph aft 7 successive defeats.

But until first-class cricket returns to the Irish home crippled - it has not been held since the onset of the pandemic - Ireland's advancement successful Test cricket volition beryllium severely hampered.