Ireland V Australia: Winners and Losers from Only ODI
Australia comfortably eclipsed Ireland in Belfast, eventually running out 23-run (Duckworth/Lewis) winners in what was a drawn out and frustrating rain-affected one-day international.
However, while some players mimicked the weather and produced damp-squib performances, others managed to shine out from the rest and do their cricketing reputations no harm at all.
Here are the three biggest winners and the three biggest losers from Thursday's clash.
Winner: Joe Burns
1 of 6
Performance: 69 off 70 balls
Injured World Cup winner Aaron Finch may be wondering how he is going to get back in the team after Joe Burns' impressive debut in Belfast.
Scoring fluently with crisp drives and dismissive cuts, the 25-year-old showed that his recent unbeaten 154 for Australia A against their Indian counterparts, was far from a fluke with an assured 69.
And, while he'll face a much more testing attack when he comes up against England over the next couple of weeks, Burns is clearly an exciting prospect for cricket fans Down Under.
Loser: Paul Stirling
2 of 6
Performance: 0 and 0/14 from 3.2 overs
As Middlesex fans will testify, Paul Stirling is capable of playing blistering IPL-style knocks when he gets in, and he can play shots all round the wicket.
However, more often than not, the Irishman infuriates with the blade as per this innings where he struggled to put bat on ball before nicking Nathan Coulter-Nile behind.
An average of 33.10 from 58 ODI innings is evidence of ability but Stirling needs to start making consistent scores against the big boys if he wants to push on to the next level.
Winner: Tim Murtagh
3 of 6
Performance: 2/45 from 10 overs
Tim Murtagh is a classic type of bowler found on the county circuit that can look innocuous on a flat batting track but, give him a fresh-looking green-top, and he becomes a world beater.
And the Middlesex seamer was in his element in Belfast producing an economical spell that produced two wickets—David Warner and George Bailey—at a cost of just 45 runs.
After missing the World Cup due to injury, Murtagh showed what his countrymen had missed Down Under with a skilful display of controlled bowling.
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Loser: George Bailey
4 of 6
Performance: 1 from 7 balls
With Australia's focus evidently on younger personnel, George Bailey's failure here took his somewhat strange international career another step toward fizzling out.
The former T20 skipper and ODI vice-captain painfully scratched around for a single before being deceived by a Tim Murtagh delivery that disrupted his stumps.
Having been dropped and usurped by Steve Smith from the starting XI prior to the 2015 World Cup campaign, Bailey needs runs urgently in order to retain his place in the Australian side.
Winner: Nathan Coulter-Nile
5 of 6
Performance: 3 for 13 off 4.3 overs
While David Warner's commanding innings perhaps deserved a spot on this list, Nathan Coulter-Nile's three-wicket performance with the ball, edges his compatriot out.
The ever-improving Coulter-Nile has already become an IPL regular but is yet to fully cement himself in the Aussie ODI side, playing just 11 ODIs since his debut two years ago.
However, the next few weeks might change things in this regard, especially if he can reproduce displays like this where he collected three scalps and conceded just 13 runs in the process.
Loser: Craig Young
6 of 6
Performance: 1 for 49 off six overs
It is unlikely that Craig Young has come up against batsmen of the quality of David Warner too many times before and, despite taking the wicket of Joe Burns, the youngster won't want to remember this game in a hurry.
Struggling with his line and length, the 25-year-old served up a succession of buffet balls (help yourself) that were duly carted to the boundary to help Australia get off to a flier.
Hopefully Young can learn from this experience on the big stage and bounce back stronger in future international outings.
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