England win toss, bat against Ireland in one-off Test

LONDON: England captain Joe Root won the toss and decided to bat against Ireland in a one-off Test at Lord´s on Wednesday.With high temperatures forecast, Root´s decision to bat under sunny skies in Ireland´s first Test against England was understandable."It looks quite dry underneath," said Root after he won the toss on a green-tinged pitch prepared by Irish groundsman Karl McDermott, in his first season at Lord´s."We´re playing two spinners so we need to make the most of that. Hopefully we can get ourselves in, make a big score and take the game from there," Root added.The match takes place just a week before the start of a five-Test Ashes series.World Cup-winning opening batsman Jason Roy is making his Test debut at the top of the order and fast bowler Olly Stone, in for the injured James Anderson, is also playing his first Test.Rory Burns, Joe Denly and Jack Leach -- one of two spinners selected by England along with Moeen Ali -- are making their home debuts.It is just Ireland´s third Test following a loss at home to Pakistan in 2018 and a defeat by Afghanistan in India earlier this year.Their side included batsman Paul Stirling and seamer Tim Murtagh, who both play for Lord´s based-Middlesex, as well as former England fast bowler Boyd Rankin.Ireland gave a Test debut to paceman Mark Adair and they also included off-spinner Andy McBrine."There might be a bit in it (the pitch) for the first few hours so hopefully we can utilise that," said Ireland captain William Porterfield."Quite a few guys have played a lot of county cricket around the country so that experience is there," he added.The match is being played over four days rather than the standard five for a Test match.It is the first time England have been involved in a scheduled four-day Test since a 1971 tour of New Zealand and the first such match in England since 1947.Teams:England: Jason Roy, Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Joe Root (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, Olly Stone, Jack LeachIreland: William Porterfield (capt), James McCollum, Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling, Kevin O´Brien, Gary Wilson (wkt), Stuart Thompson, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Tim Murtagh, Boyd RankinUmpires: Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SRI), Aleem Dar (PAK)TV umpire: Paul Wilson (AUS)Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

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