Ireland v Australia, Only ODI: Date, Time, TV Info and Preview

Australia will seek to put their Ashes disappointment behind them when they visit Belfast to take on Ireland in this attractive one-off ODI fixture.

But with a raft of retirements and absentees, what chance do the world champions have of coming unstuck against their plucky hosts?

Let's take a look at how the two teams are shaping up ahead of this 50-over contest.

Date: Thursday, August 27, 2015

Time:  10:45 a.m. GMT

Venue: Civil Service Cricket Ground, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Live stream and TV info: Not available at time of writing.

Weather: While the game should get underway, rain is a possibility throughout the afternoon, according to BBC Weather.

Overview

Despite winning the World Cup just a few months ago, six of the Australian XI that battered New Zealand in the final at Melbourne, will be missing here.

Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin have hung up their pads, Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood are getting their feet up, Aaron Finch is recovering from injury and James Faulkner is banned after a drink-driving incident.

Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Which, of course, opens the door for some of the Aussies' highly rated youngsters who'll also be aware that spaces in the Test side are currently up for grabs.

Highly rated speedster, Pat Cummins, who was in the Ashes squad but didn't make an appearance will be desperate to show what he can do, while Joe Burns, who blasted 154 from 131 against India A recently, could open the innings.

Another interesting aspect is how the likes of George Bailey, who has captained the side on 13 occasions but was discarded for the World Cup, and Shane Watson, who was axed from the Test team after a poor performance at Cardiff, will respond.

So while new skipper Steve Smith will be eager to stamp his authority over the side, getting the right balance between youth and experience will be crucial in avoiding this potential banana skin fixture.

According to the ICC, Ireland are the 10th best ODI team in the world and the Associate Members will be eager to perform in one of their rare outings on the big stage.

The men in green came agonisingly close to qualifying for the quarter-finals at the World Cup, beating Zimbabwe and the West Indies, only to be eliminated on net run rate.

But there is no doubting their gradual improvement over the years and their current squad are all full-time professional cricketers, eight of which, ply their trade in England's county circuit.

INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/Getty Images

Their stars Down Under were Ed Joyce and William Porterfield, who scored over 500 runs between them and these old heads will need to bat long and nullify the Aussies' strong bowling attack here.

And their own attack has been boosted by the return of wily seamer Tim Murtagh, who missed the World Cup through injury, and can be tough to face on green-tinged wickets. 

New coach John Bracewell brings plenty of experience too but the Irish clearly face an uphill battle against one of the sport's heavyweight outfits.

Previous meeting and head-to-head record:

Australia have won two of the sides' three ODI contests, the last of which took place at this ground and was washed out after the home team had been reduced to 36 for three.

ODI Form (Most Recent Results First)

Ireland: NLLWLWW

Australia: WWWWWWL

Squads

Ireland: William Porterfield (c), Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Tim Murtagh, Andy McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.

Australia: Steve Smith (c), Ashton Agar, George Bailey, Joe Burns, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Shane Watson, David Warner

Key Players

Ireland

Ed Joyce made 19 international appearances for England and memorably scored a century against Australia at the SCG. However, deemed surplus to requirements in 2010, this prolific runscorer returned to the Irish ranks and remains their best batsman today. If the left-hander can bat for a long period of time, then Ireland have a chance of recording a decent total.

Australia

Although Ireland's players boast a lot of county cricket experience they won't have faced bowlers of the quality of Mitchell Starc too often and if conditions suit swing, the pacy left-armer could cause havoc. While his Ashes campaign was deemed a touch disappointing, Starc claimed 22 scalps at the World Cup at an incredible average of just 10.18.

Prediction

Obviously Australia are heavy favourites for this clash but a new-look lineup, an unfamiliar ground and an uncertain weather forecast all add to Ireland's chances of causing an upset. However, the power of David Warner and the relentless run accumulation of Steve Smith should be too much for the home team.