THE World Cup hangover continued for Ireland yesterday with a second heavy defeat in the Friends Provident Trophy, at Taunton, and the loss of Andre Botha for at least two weeks with a dislocated finger.

Skipper Justin Langer led from the front as Somerset thrashed Ireland by 128 runs to record their second Friends Provident Trophy win of the season.

KABIR ALI’s brave rearguard fell agonisingly short of pulling off an improbable victory as England lost their one-day series to Pakistan via a 13-run margin in a thrilling match at Rawalpindi yesterday.

James Anderson claimed England’s best World Cup figures for 20 years as they made an impressive but belated entry into the tournament against Holland today.