Irish to host England in Belfast

IRELAND will host England in One-Day cricket international at Stormont, Belfast, on Thursday August 27 in what organisers expect to be a sell out.

England will have finished their final Ashes Test against Australia at the Oval just three days before and will take this opportunity to warm up for their NatWest series against the tourists.

Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland CEO, praised RSA Insurance for their sponsorship of the event.

“We are very fortunate to have such an enthusiastic and proactive sponsor in RSA, and we are delighted they have extended their investment in Irish Cricket to incorporate what should be one of the biggest single days of sport in Northern Ireland this year,” said Deutrom.

This will be third time the two nations have met in just three years. Stormont also hosted the historic first clash in June 2006, with England winning by 38 runs in front of a 7,000 sell out crowd thanks to a century from Marcus Trescothick. The teams then faced each other during the Super 8 phase of the 2007 World Cup in Guyana, with England emerging victors by 48 runs.

Ireland captain William Porterfield said “Obviously it’s great to be given the opportunity to test ourselves against some of the best players in the world. It’s a fixture that all the lads are really looking forward to.” Tickets for the RSA Challenge are currently on sale through Ticketmaster.