USA vs IRE prediction: Who will win today's 1st T20I match?

The United States of America will take on Ireland in the first match of the two-game T20I series on Wednesday, December 22. The Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida, will host this exciting contest.

Ireland, led by Andrew Balbirnie, have a power-packed squad at their disposal for their upcoming T20I matches. Paul Stirling has been a consistent performer for them for over a decade and the onus will be on him to take the team off to a flying start in the opening encounter.

Balbirnie isn’t a power-hitter, but is known for playing handy knocks by placing the ball in the gaps with a lot of precision. Curtis Campher, who had played U19 cricket for South Africa, had an outstanding campaign in the T20 World Cup, highlighted by a hat-trick against Netherlands.

In fact, Campher joined Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan on the list of bowlers to have scalped wickets in four consecutive deliveries in a single international match. Campher is also more than a handy batter and is expected to deliver.

Mark Adair has been a genuine wicket-taker for them as he can make breakthroughs in the powerplay as well as in the death overs. George Dockrell is a seasoned campaigner, and although he doesn’t bowl much nowadays, he remains a key member of the Irish team.

The USA, led by Monank Patel, are a pretty formidable unit as well. The focus will be on Jaskaran Malhotra, who smashed six sixes in an over during an ODI match against Papua New Guinea back in September. PNG’s Gaudi Toka had to bear the brunt of Malhotra’s power-hitting.

Rusty Theron, a former South African all-rounder, is set to turn out for the USA and is expected to bring forth all his experience. Xavier Marshall and Steven Taylor have been useful players for them. The onus will also be on Saurabh Netravalkar to give USA breakthroughs with the ball in hand.

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Can the USA beat Ireland?

England v Ireland - 3rd One Day International: Royal London Series

Ireland clearly look the stronger of the two teams, at least on paper. They recently played in the T20 World Cup, albeit failed to qualify for the Super 12 of the tournament.

The USA have a talented unit without a doubt, but getting past Ireland may turn out to be a far cry for them going forward. Ireland seem clear favorites for the game.

Prediction: Ireland to win the match.