England captain Alastair Cook was more than happy with his team’s all-round display after beating Australia in the second 50-over NatWest Series match.

England’s new-look one-day international side survived a nervy batting display and a dangerous cameo from their Bangalore conqueror Kevin O’Brien to beat Ireland by 11 runs in the RSA Challenge at Clontarf this afternoon.

CAPTAIN William Porterfield rued the fact that Ireland did not put up a more imposing total as they went down to a five-wicket defeat to India in their World Cup Group B match in Bangalore yesterday.

CAPTAIN Andrew Strauss kept his cool to help England scrape an opening World Cup win over the Netherlands after enduring a “shemozzle” of a performance in the field.

EOIN MORGAN yesterday revealed that he does not require surgery on the broken finger that ruled him out of England’s World Cup squad — and that he could have been fit before the end of the tournament.

ENGLAND’S worst World Cup fears were realised yesterday when their leading one-day batsman and former Irish star Eoin Morgan was ruled out of the tournament with a fractured finger.

EOIN MORGAN is likely to get the opportunity to boost his Ashes credentials against Pakistan this summer after England lost the services of Ian Bell for the series.

Ashes winners England averted a shock defeat to see off Ireland by just three runs in their one-day international in Belfast today.

ANDREW STRAUSS was delighted to finally enjoy the winning feeling again after England banished memories of a frustrating winter by beating West Indies by 10 wickets yesterday.

GRAEME SWANN has admitted England’s frustration at being unable to recapture their impressive form of last summer in the current one-day series against India.

KEVIN PIETERSEN’S contentious dismissal on the opening day of the second Test between England and Sri Lanka sparked calls for a revision of the way technology is used in international cricket.

TALISMANIC all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was dispatched to see his ankle surgeon yesterday as England prepared for last-minute selection issues for the World Twenty20.

ENGLAND will fly back home from the Caribbean next week and face an inevitable clamour for change following one of their most testing winter campaigns in recent years.

BRAVE Ireland went down to England yesterday as Paul Collingwood delivered a match-winning performance to prevent England from suffering embarrassment and get their Super Eights campaign underway.

Bray native Ed Joyce has been included in England's 15-man squad for the cricket World Cup.