Ireland v England T20 report and reaction: Jacob Bethell's visitors cruise home after destructive Jordan Cox knock, Phil Salt named player of series
Updated 21/09/2025 at 19:09 GMT+1
England cruised to victory in their third T20 against Ireland. Jordan Cox hit 55 off 34 balls in Malahide as England sealed a 2-0 series win after their spinners helped restrict Ireland to 154. Tom Banton also hit 37 not out for England, who next head to New Zealand before the Ashes against Australia, which starts on November 21, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Buttler goes for a duck to 'one of the best catches you'll ever see'
Video credit: TNT Sports
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Highlights: Cox stars as England win T20I series in Ireland
Video credit: TNT Sports
The long summer is finally over...
For the men anyway, and they have a couple of weeks off now before they travel to play New Zealand in a T20 international series beginning on October 18 in Christchurch.
You can watch the New Zealand-England series and the Ashes which follows, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Bethell happy to be giving back captaincy
"I've enjoyed it, but I'm looking forward to letting Brooky take control again and getting back in the ranks," Bethell said.
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Bethell 'looking forward to getting back in the ranks'
Video credit: TNT Sports
Salt is Player of the Series
"It's nice to be hitting a bit of form, as a collective," Salt said.
"[Ireland have] bags of talent, I know a lot of the guys very well. I knew they'd be a tough game especially in their conditions.
"We've got a bit of time off and then the next thing, which is New Zealand."
Rashid gets Player of the Match
A little surprising, you'd think Jordan Cox would have been a more deserving winner.
"Overall we can be quite pleased with how we did with a bowling group," Rashid said.
"Whichever ground you go to you have to adapt to the conditions and the situation - what pace is required.
"We're all looking forward to [the T20 World Cup], we've got New Zealand and Sri Lanka as well."
England win by six wickets!
England 155-4 (17.1 overs) - Banton 37, Ahmed 9
A comfortable victory for England chasing a total which was never likely to be enough.
Jordan Cox top scored with a destructive 55 bringing his impressive Hundred form to the international arena.
After wet weather since the last match at the ground on Wednesday, Ireland found life a lot harder with the bat after being put in by England skipper Jacob Bethell.
Jamie Overton (2-17) and Liam Dawson (2-9) were particularly impressive with the supreme short-form spinning practitioner Adil Rashid ending with 3-29 and Ireland's total would have been much lower had it not been for a fine 48 not out off 29 balls from Gareth Delany.
Ireland couldn't have started better with Curtis Campher making an unbelievable, diving one-handed catch at point to dismiss Jos Buttler for a duck.
Bethell (15) also fell early to a very good catch from Delany off Craig Young, but Cox then took command putting on 57 with Phil Salt (29) and 49 with Tom Banton, who made an impressive 37 not out and scored the winning runs.
ENGLAND WIN SERIES 2-0
And there are the winning runs from the bat of Tom Banton!
England 154-3 (17 overs) - Banton 36, Ahmed 9
Cox's knock will get the plaudits but this has been a very good innings from Banton too. Here he clatters Delany over the covers for four.
England 144-3 (16 overs) - Banton 31, Ahmed 4
England edging towards the target.
Wicket! Cox b White 55
England 139-3 (15.1 overs)
Good bowling from White beating the outside of Cox's bat with a leg spinner and the ball clatters into the stumps.
England 139-3 (15 overs) - Cox 55, Banton 30
England cantering home. Banton slams a four over the bowlers head in this over.
England 131-3 (14 overs) - Cox 54, Banton 23
Cox brings up his fifty with a huge shot launched high over midwicket. It has been a fine innings this. He brings up the 50 off 31 balls.
England 121-3 (13 overs) - Cox 46, Banton 21
Banton drives off the back foot behind square for four and then Cox smacks a short ball to the legside boundary.
England 111-3 (12 overs) - Cox 41, Banton 16
A fine over from Humphreys. His four overs have gone for 25 runs.
England 109-3 (11 overs) - Cox 40, Banton 15
After three dot balls, Banton cuts the third for four to bring up England's hundred and then edges down to narrow third man which sees McCarthy chase it to the boundary and then leap over the hoardings.
England 99-3 (10 overs) - Cox 40, Banton 5
A textbook defensive push from Banton's first ball sends the ball past the bowler to the boundary. Cox cuts the last ball of the over for four.
Wicket! Salt c b Campher 29
England 90-3 (9.2 overs)
A good ball moving slightly away from Salt and he nicks behind to Tucker.
England 89-2 (9 overs) - Salt 29, Cox 36
Awful fielding on the boundary from Campher gifts Salt a four. Other than that just singles off Ireland's best bowler.
England 79-2 (8 overs) - Salt 22, Cox 34
Cox takes a couple of balls to figure White out. The first one a rank long hop, he and the wicketkeeper miss, but the third ball - another short one - is whacked high over mid wicket. The last ball of the over is hit by Salt over short leg and it is also a no ball.
England 60-2 (7 overs) - Salt 17, Cox 25
A very good over from Humphreys.
No Wicket! England 59-2 (6.4 overs)
Cox knew he had hit it. Unlucky for Humphreys.
Wicket! Cox lbw b Humphreys 24
England 59-3 (6.4 overs)
It looks great bowling from Humphreys. But Cox reviewed straight away.
England 57-2 (6 overs) - Salt 16, Cox 23
An impressive start from Cox cutting a ball from Campher not too far wide of third man but going to fast to be able to be stoppd. The next ball is then hit high over square leg. Do not bowl on Cox's hip.
England 43-2 (5 overs) - Salt 15, Cox 10
Cox clobbers a freebie, a ball on is hips, high over long on. He also guides a ball slightly short wide of point for four.
Wicket! Bethell c Delany b Young 15
England 32-2 (4.1 overs)
Another fine catch for Ireland in the field as Delany dives forward to dismiss Bethell, holing out to square leg.
England 32-1 (4 overs) - Salt 15, Bethell 15
Bethell hits another four with a pull a long way in front of square and then walks forward and slashes a ball over the covers. The last shot is a loose one, fortunately for the England skipper bouncing ust before the fielder at square leg.
England 23-1 (3 overs) - Salt 14, Bethell 6
Bethell pulls the second ball for four, then is lucky the wicketkeeper's throw was errant when Salt called him through for a quick single.
England 13-1 (2 overs) - Salt 11, Bethell 0
The shock is just subsiding after that incredible dismissal.
Wicket! Buttler c Campher b McCarthy 0
England 10-1 (1.2 overs)
An incredible one-handed catch from Campher in the covers after Buttler crashed a drive into the covers. You don't get much better than that.
England 10-0 (1 over) - Salt 10, Buttler 0
The visitors' response is underway and Salt picks up where he left off on Wednesday and drive a six over cover point.
New start time: 4.10pm - assuming no more rain
Further update: Delayed again due to rain
Update: Play will resume at 3:50pm
Delay for Rain
It only seems to be a short shower though so England should get out to bat before too long.
Ireland 154-8 (20 overs) - Delany 48, Young 0
Baker surprisingly bowls the last over. Delany turns down a single off the first ball then smacks the second cross-batted over Baker for four. A yorker, then full toss both go down as dot balls, before another four is hit over wide long off. An overthrow off the last gets them two. He doesn't quite get to fifty but a fine effort from Delany, without his knock Ireland would have had an embarrassing total.
Ireland 143-8 (19 overs) - Delany 38, Young 0
Delany misses out on the first four balls, the second of which probably should have been called a wide. After turning down singles off the first and fourth balls, he lofts the third over cover for two. He takes a single off the last ball when he could have taken two.
Wicket! Humphreys c Cox b Rashid 7
Ireland 141-8 (18 overs)
Humphreys plays a clever reverse-sweep splits two English fielders to get a boundary off Rashid's over, but then sweeps the last ball aerially and Cox takes the ball at square leg.
Cox is walking off the field after hurting himself taking the catch.
Ireland 132-7 (17 overs) - Delany 31, Humphreys 2
Back-to-back-to-back boundaries from Delany. First of all a ball is cracked through the covers, then the second is hit high over long leg and the third over square leg.
Ireland 114-7 (16 overs) - Delany 14, Humphreys 1
Delany waits for a banged in short ball from Wood and thwacks it cross-batted high over wide long on. He then hits a late cut wide of third man for four.
Wicket! McCarthy lbw b Rashid 0
Ireland 102-7 (15 Overs)
McCarthy is bamboozled by Rashid's googly which traps him in front first ball. The batsman sends it upstairs but replays show the ball is hitting leg stump.
Wicket! Calitz c Bethell b Rashid 22
Ireland 102-6 (14.5 Overs)
Calitz tries the same shot again but this time gets very little of the ball which loops to Bethell running in from cover.
Ireland 100-5 (14.1 overs)
A big hit from Calitz, giving himself room and going to one knee before hitting the ball high over wide long on.
Ireland 93-5 (14 overs) - Calitz 14, Delany 1
A fine over from Dawson, though a misfield from Rashid allows Delany to get off the mark.
Wicket! Tector 28 c Rashid b Dawson
Ireland 90-5 (13.3 overs)
Dawson comes back into bowl and Tector opts to reverse sweep him, but top edges gifting Rashid an easy catch.
Ireland 89-4 (13 overs) - Tector 28, Calitz 13
Tector almost gives Baker catching practice at 45 off the third ball of the over. They really have struggled with Overton and Wood when they dig the ball into the pitch.
Ireland 84-4 (12 overs) - Tector 26, Calitz 11
Tector hits the first ball past extra cover for four. After a couple of singles he then gets the second six of the Ireland innings slog sweeping high over cow corner. Calitz skies the last ball and he is lucky it drops short of the fielder running in from long on.
Ireland 70-4 (11 overs) - Tector 14, Calitz 9
The problem when you're struggling is often you don't take advantage of the gifts and Calitz could only get two after spooning in the air a full toss on leg stump. He does pull a short ball for four later in the over though for his first boundary.
Ireland 62-4 (10 overs) - Tector 13, Calitz 2
They are still trying to hit boundaries but it is proving very difficult at present. It won't get easier with Rashid now either.
Wicket! c Banton b Overton 2
Ireland 59-4 (9 overs)
This looks a harder track to score on than it was five days ago. Ireland tried twice in this over to go long and both times lost wickets. This one to long on.
Wicket! Tucker c Wood b Overton 1 (8.3 Overs)
Ireland 56-3
Tucker tries to hook Overton for six and is caught at square leg.
Ireland 55-2 (8 overs) - Tector 9, Tucker 1
Rashid comes onto bowl and Tector struggles to get bat on ball, let alone get him off the square. Dawson almost takes a great catch off the penultimate ball, stopping a boundary in any case. Tucker then gets off the mark.
Ireland 52-2 (7 overs) - Tector 8, Tucker 0
Before the wicket, Tector gets his first boundary hitting Rehan Ahmed's first ball over his head for four. Just two more runs off the rest of the over.
Wicket! Adair c Cox b Ahmed 33
Ireland 52-2 (6.3 overs)
He drops to one knee and slog sweeps straight to Cox at deep backward square.
Ireland 46-1 (6 overs) - Adair 33, Tector 3
Overton bowls the final over of the powerplay. Adair hits a four of the first ball over backward square but thereafter the Irish batters struggle to get the ball off the square.
Ireland 39-1 (5 overs) - Adair 28, Tector 2
A good start from Wood, still in single figures after two overs.
Ireland 36-1 (4 overs) - Adair 26, Tector 1
After the wicket Tector got off the mark and then Adair lofted another shot over the off side for four.
Wicket! Stirling c Buttler b Dawson 7
Ireland 30-1 (3.2 Overs)
England were convinced Stirling nicked the second delivery of the over. The umpire was unmoved but Snicko showed a nick.
Ireland 30-0 (3 Overs) - Stirling 7, Adair 21
A big shot from Adair to start the over hitting Baker back over his head for six. He then gives himself room and punches the ball inside mid off for another boundary. He is inches short of another six as he carves the last ball over point.
Ireland 14-0 (2 Overs) - Stirling 7, Adair 5
Stirling slams the first ball over the covers for four, but thereafter a solid over from Luek Wood.
Ireland 8-0 (1 Over) - Stirling 3, Adair 4
A good start from Baker with two dot balls, but Stirling plays him through the covers for three and then Adair slams the last ball over the offside infield for four.
England have won the toss and elected to field
Just as in the first T20, England have opted to chase.
Two changes for Ireland
George Dockrell and Graham Hume drop out of the side with debutante Ben Calitz and Ben White coming into the side.
Baker gets first cap
Sonny Baker plays his first T20 match for England (he has played one ODI before) replacing Will Jacks.
Cox comes in for Curran
Hundred star Jordan Cox gets a chance to show his talent coming in at four, which gives the England batting line up a more balanced look.
Ireland's XI to face England
Paul Stirling (capt), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, Ben Calitz, Gareth Delany, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Craig Young, Ben White.
England's side this afternoon
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell (capt), Jordan Cox, Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood, Sonny Baker.
Hello and welcome...
Thanks for joining our coverage of the third and final T20 international between Ireland and England.
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