England's openers were far from as explosive or impressive as they were yesterday. Michael Lumb started well, playing it off the hip for 4 off the first ball, followed by a late cut through point which raced to the boundary. He hit one more 4 before being caught at short fine leg by Boyd Rankin for 14 off 11.
His fellow opener Craig Kieswetter did not fare any better, making just 13 off 17, but he can consider himself unlucky. He was run out having dived to make the crease but his bat was just off the ground, but enough for TV umpire Asad Rauf to give it out.
Paul Collingwood came and then went again without troubling the scorers, he failed to score in the 3 balls he faced. as he was caught at slip by Botha at slip. It is the second time in two days Colly has failed to make it into double figures.
With KP and Eoin Morgan at the crease you don't expect the score to dry up, but that is exactly what happened. Morgan hit a reverse sweep for 4 in the 9th over in what was the first boundary since the 4th.
An over later an uncomfortable-looking KP went caught by Mooney on the square leg boundary for 9 off 18. With Luke Wright and Eoin Morgan batting I was ever optimistic that finally they may consistently find the boundary, but sadly that was not to be.
Morgan punched fours through backward point and over mid-wicket, and Luke Wright smashed the first 6 of the innings over the head of the bowler 16 overs in, but an over later he was out, caught at long on for 20 off 24.
Tim Bresnan came to the crease and found the boundary once before the wickets begin to tumble - he went for just 5. Morgan followed, pulling the ball for long on as his innings came to a close on 45 runs off 37. Michael Yardy made a duck when he was run out after a terrific direct hit from Trent Johnston at deep mid-wicket.
England's innings came to a close on 120-8, and were it not for Morgan putting on a big score against his country of birth this could have been a very embarrassing score. We had gone from scoring our record number of sixes in a T20 to just 1 in the whole innings, and we can blame the slow, sticky pitch all we like but we could have improved our score were we not so nervous of the potential banana skin Ireland, who were brilliant in the field, and impressed with the ball.
1.2 overs of the Ireland innings were bowled before the rain came and surprise surprise, the game was stopped. It was heart in mouth time for us England fans as we remembered the injustice of the D/L method last night, but thankfully it wasn't too long before play resumed without the game having to be shortened.
Once play resumed Ryan Sidebottom continued the over that he had started before the break, and in the final ball batsman Ian Stirling seemed to have scored a sweet boundary, but Michael Lumb who may not have starred with the bat sure did in the field, as he sprinted and dived at full stretch to his left at deep mid-wicket to take a stunning catch.
The rain started as quickly as it stopped, and the game was stopped in the 4th over with Ireland 14-1, and after the groundsmen were suitably exercised pulling the covers on then off numerous times the players were finally seen shaking hands and the game was called off, meaning that England go through to the super eight stage.
MoM: Eoin Morgan
My man of the match today is the same as yesterday - Eoin Morgan. The Irishman performed admirably against his nation of birth and in his 45 he displayed his usual ingenuity and creativity. Without him, today's already poor score would have been even more embarrassing.
We were unlucky in defeat yesterday, but we were somewhat more fortunate in our win today after a batting display in which we weren't the best, seemingly too nervous of the consequences of defeat to Ireland. However, we are through to the next round and if we use today's game as motivation and find that game we displayed against the West Indies, I wouldn't write us off from winning this tournament just yet.
