To Bangalore 2011 and Southampton 2020, Melbourne 2022 can now be added to the list and Tucker insists there could be more significant victories over the next week.

 

“After our defeat in the first game against Zimbabwe, we never thought we would be here now but this was another pretty special performance. That’s three wins in our last four and now we have one win in the Super 12s (joint top after two rounds of matches) and while not looking to the semi-finals quite yet, a couple more good games and you never know what might happen.”

 

The excitement is totally understandable because while it may have been ‘only’ a five-run DLS victory – if Moeen Ali had hit the next ball, which was never bowled because of the rain, for six, England would have won – Ireland proved for the second time in a week they belong on the world stage in the shortest format.

 

They are straight back into action tomorrow morning (5am BST) at the MCG against Afghanistan, a team they defeated 3-2 in Belfast just two months ago, and a second victory would put them top of the table before New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England and Australia all play again.

 

And skipper Andrew Balbirnie, who top scored with 62 against England, insists that was the thought of the dressing room as soon as they had celebrated their victory.

 

“That’s the key message, to make sure we back this performance up, we can’t rest after beating England. We were disappointed how we turned up on Sunday against Sri Lanka, two days after the high of beating West Indies so we have to try our best to keep winning. If we come up short so be it, but we have to give it a crack.”

 

Tucker suggested that it was Curtis Campher’s match-winning half-century against Scotland last week which has given the team the confidence to keep performing.

 

“We were down and out before that innings but we were inspired by his pure brilliance that has given the team the motivation to perform since then,” he said, “and with other people contributing we are in a positive frame of mind about the next few games.

 

“With more rain forecast we don’t know what the permutations will be so we look forward to turning up and playing positive cricket on the day.”

 

Ireland were true to their word yesterday and despite the early loss of Paul Stirling, Balbirnie and Tucker put on 82 for the second wicket, but the captain’s dismissal saw a horrible collapse with Ireland losing their last seven wickets for just 25 runs to give England the momentum at halfway.

 

But Josh Little, as he has done so often this year, hit back, dismissing England captain Jos Buttler second ball and following up with the wicket of fellow opener Alex Hales with his 10^th delivery.

 

Ben Stokes, England’s World Cup winning hero in 2019, was the third England wicket as they fell behind the run rate and the first in the tournament for Fionn Hand, who replaced Simi Singh in Ireland’s first team-change. As Balbirnie noted: “It was an absolute beauty to get one of the best players in the world out and I thought he (Hand) was actually going to end up in the stand, such was his celebration. It was an amazing moment to be part of.”

 

George Dockrell also bowled a ‘crazy’ first over of tournament with catches dropped off his first two balls before Gareth Delany held on in the deep to dismiss Harry Brook and when Barry McCarthy followed up with the wicket of Dawid Malan, England were decisively behind the DLS par score as the rain threatened.

 

It arrived in the next over as soon as Moeen had hit Delany for 6, 2, 4 and Balbirnie was forced to admit: “I’ve never been happier to see rain come down when it did. The way Moeen was playing I was worried if we had to bowl another ball.”

 

More pertinently though, Buttler summed up the game: “We were outplayed in all three facets and we were beaten by the better team.”