Ireland vs USA Prediction: Ireland boosts a strong batting order

Ireland and USA are going head to head against each other at Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on 30th June. Ireland boosts a strong batting order and is coming off a win in their recent game. Who will win this game?

Expectations were high for the Irish team in the Group stages of the competition, but their unexpected loss to Oman came as a shock. Nonetheless, the Irish team has shown promise in one-day internationals in recent years, even securing victories against strong teams like England. In a 2020 match against England, the Irish batters successfully chased down a target of 329 runs with 7 wickets to spare, a remarkable feat considering England's status as defending World Champions in the ODI format.

Heading into this competition, the Irish team retains the key players from that memorable victory against England and has also notched other significant wins. Andrew Balbirnie, Harry Tector, and Paul Stirling form a formidable middle order. The team has demonstrated consistency in their selection, with most players in the current squad having received ample opportunities. Following the loss to Oman, they suffered another narrow 1-wicket defeat against Scotland and faced a heavy defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka at the Queens Sports Club.

The Irish team's sole victory in the competition came in their last match against UAE. Paul Stirling played a standout innings, scoring 162 runs while batting near the top of the order. Tector and Balbirnie also contributed half-centuries in the middle order. This performance would have instilled confidence in the team as they prepare for the semi-final match to secure 7th place. The bowling attack will be led by Mark Adair and Joshua Little, while the presence of all-rounders adds depth to their bowling options.

Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, PJ Moor, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.

The USA team showed promise in their opening match, giving the West Indies a tough challenge despite ending up on the losing side. However, their performance gradually declined thereafter. In the match against Nepal, the team found themselves in a precarious position at 4 for 18 but managed to partially recover and post a total of 207 runs before being bowled out. Their next match saw another collapse, this time against the Netherlands, as they lost half their side for 79 runs before finishing with a total of 211 runs for the loss of 8 wickets.

These consecutive losses prompted the team management to make a change in captaincy, appointing Manank Patel for the last game against Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, in that match, the USA team was bowled out for a meagre 104 runs while chasing a daunting target of 409 runs. Shayan Jahangir and Gajanand Singh have been the standout batsmen for the USA, with Jahangir scoring a magnificent century off just 69 balls against Nepal and contributing 71 runs off 86 deliveries against the Netherlands.

However, the top-order batsmen Sushant Modani and Steven Taylor have struggled to find form, and the batsmen in the number 3 and 4 positions haven't performed well either. The usually reliable bowlers like Netravalkar, Ali Khan, and Jasdeep Singh have also failed to make a significant impact with the ball. Nevertheless, there is potential for these bowlers to regain their form as the USA faces Ireland in their upcoming match. In Group A, the USA lost all four games, finishing at the bottom of the points table with a net run rate of -2.164.

Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones (vc), Abhishek Paradkar, Ali Khan, Gajanand Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Kyle Philip, Nisarg Patel, Nostush Kenjige, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shayan Jahangir, Steven Taylor, Sushant Modani, Usman Rafiq

The Takashinga Sports Club in Harare will serve as the venue for this game. While the US team has already played three matches at this venue, it will be the first match for the Irish side. In the previous game, both teams scored a total of 374 runs, indicating that it is a high-scoring ground. Therefore, the team batting first will aim to post a score of around 300 runs to give themselves a strong chance of winning the match. According to the weather forecast, the match is expected to be played under sunny and clear skies. The temperature in Harare is likely to reach a maximum of approximately 26 degrees. There is a low probability of rainfall during the encounter, and the relative humidity is expected to be around 30%. Ireland is coming into the game on the back of a convincing win against Oman but the USA lost their initial wickets very rapidly across games. We expect Ireland to win this game against a weak USA.