Ireland vs England: Quick flicks

Bopara struts his stuff

Ravi Bopara showed glimpses of his batting prowess when he hammered his maiden ODI hundred – albeit against a rather ‘weak’ team – as he paired up well with Eoin Morgan to add a record 226 runs for the fifth wicket, going past Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja’s 223.

Bopara also bowled very accurately and took the wicket of the dangerous Kevin O’Brien while giving away 41 runs in seven overs. He is clearly focused on cementing a place in the ODI side, having brought England to the threshold of victory in the Champions Trophy final. The fact that he hammered five sixes showed that the 28-year old has spent his time away from international duty extremely well. Brilliant stuff!