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Ireland pulled off a massive upset as they defeated title favorites England in the 20th match of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Wednesday, October 26. Ireland edged out England by five runs according to Duckworth Lewis (DLS) method in the rain-curtailed contest.
Andrew Balbirnie (62) led his side from the front and played a crucial role in Ireland's famous win today. He rightfully received the Player of the Match award for his enterprising knock in the first innings.
Cricket fans across the globe took note of the developments at the MCG and went on to troll England for their underwhelming performance in the match. They also heaped praise on Ireland and highlighted their consisten performances against the English team in ICC tournaments over the years.
Here are some of the best memes in this regard:
England were 105/5 in 14.3 overs before rain intervened
Batting first, Ireland posted a decent total of 157 in 19.2 overs. Andrew Balbirnie (62) and Lorcan Tucker (34) starred for them with the bat. Mark Wood (3/34) and Liam Livingstone (3/17) pulled things back for Jos Buttler and Co. by scalping wickets at crucial moments.
In response, England's top order failed miserably. Dawid Malan (35 off 37 balls) did stick around until the 14th over, but he struggled with timing throughout and lacked any rhythm.
Moeen Ali (24* off 12 balls) played a couple of lusty blows after Malan's departure and provided a much-needed boost to the scoring rate before rain played a spoilsport for Buttler's side.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie reflected on the match and said:
"We were slightly disappointed with the way we finished, we lost 7 wickets for not a lot and they took the momentum away from us. Our message was to just create chances and we know how this English team like to play, if we take every chance then we would be in with a shot."
He added:
"It was tough, they have some express pace and different variations, we rode our luck, took a few blows and moved forward. The platform was pretty well laid and Tucker played well. It is amazing and kind of emotional."
Ireland's victory has opened up the Group 1. New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England, Australia, and Ireland currently have two points apiece. Afghanistan are the only team in the group yet to open their account.
