After winning cricket's greatest prize, the Ashes, on Sunday, it is understandable that England's players will be still a little hungover from the success.
But, four days on, they were in action again, taking off their Test whites and putting on their bright red One Day International shirts to play minnows Ireland in a One Day match.
Many of the Irish players were, apparently, supporting England during the Ashes.
But there was no such goodwill from the Irish today.
Ashes hero Trott, who scored 119 runs on his England debut in the Fifth Test of the Ashes, was out for a duck (nought) and so, too, was Ravi Bopara.
Denly was England's star man, scoring 67 in what was his debut for England.
England scored 203-9 after the allotted 50 overs was bowled but then it rained, delaying the match.
A long rain delay usually means a match, when it resumes, must be played according to the Duckworth/Lewis Method of scoring, which only an astrophysicist or a rocket scientist can understand how it works.
The Duckworth/Lewis Method is a mathematical way to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket match (but not Test matches) interrupted by weather or other circumstance. It is generally accepted to be a fair and accurate method of setting a target score, to predict what would have happened had the game come to its natural conclusion (if it hadn't rained, for example).
The D/L method was devised by two English statisticians, Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis.
So, whereas Ireland would normally have needed 204 runs to win, they actually needed 116 runs to win according to the D/L Method.
They only made 113, England scraping to victory by just two runs.
However, this could have been viewed as a weakened England side, with only four of their players having played in the Fifth Test of the Ashes.
Ireland take wind out of England's sails
Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara both scored ducks against Ireland in Stormont before rain put a further dampener on England's first match since winning the Ashes.
By Nick Hoult
27 Aug 2009
The Telegraph
One Day International (Stormont Castle, Belfast)
England: 203-9
Ireland: 113-9
England win by 2 runs (Duckworth/Lewis Method)
Ireland: Porterfield (C), N O'Brien (W), Stirling, Botha, K O'Brien, White, Cusack, Mooney, Johnston, McCallan, West
England: Denly, Bopara, J Trott, Prior (W), Collingwood (C), O Shah, L Wright, Rashid, Swann, Bresnan, Sidebottom
Duck: Jonathan Trott departs after he fell to Trent Johnston Photo: PA
SCORECARDS
England
Bopara - 0
Denly - 67
Trott - 0
Prior - 29
Collingwood - 9
Shah - 21
Wright - 36
Rashid - 7
Swann - 5
Bresnan - 14 not out
Sidebottom - 5 not out
Extras - 10
TOTAL - 203 (for 9)
------------------------
Ireland
Porterfield - 4
N O'Brien - 12
Stirling - 30
Botha - 15
K O'Brien - 4
Mooney - 9
Johnston - 21 not out
White - 1
West - 0
Cusack - 0
McCallan - 5 not out
Extras - 12
TOTAL - 113 (for 9)
Four years ago England's post-Ashes bounce came crashing down in the surroundings of Multan, an industrial town in the heartland of Pakistan.
There England lost a Test match and started a steady decline that ended with an Ashes whitewash.
Today, in a rather different setting of Stormont Castle in Belfast, England began life as Ashes holders with a low key one-day international against Ireland.
Kent opener Denly underlined his potential with 67 runs on his England debut
Stormont is a club ground nestled beneath the imposing Northern Ireland Assembly and with its red brick pavilion and marquees ringing the outfield it had more of a county festival feel this morning rather than an international cricket match.
The England players have, at least publicly, said all the right things about this match being an opportunity to prove they have refocused just four days after the euphoria of beating Australia at The Oval.
But with a slow pitch, soggy outfield and a crackly PA system, which sounded borrowed from London Underground, you would not be surprised if the four players who were at the Oval on Sunday and playing today were not wondering why they are here.
The reason is to boost Irish cricket and have a little match practice before the Twenty20 international on Sunday against Australia. Andy Flower, the team director, conducted a lengthy team meeting here yesterday and he will no doubt have pressed home what is at stake.
For three England players making their debuts today there are international careers to form. Joe Denly's much anticipated international debut looked promising but Trott followed a barnstorming Ashes debut with a duck in his first 50-over match.
The third debutant, leg-spinner Adil Rashid, is in brilliant county form with successive hundreds and five wicket hauls, and the selectors are keen to see him in action at the end of this summer before choosing the squad to tour South Africa.
England left out Irish-born Eoin Morgan to the disappointment of the crowd and the Irish team who had planned a few words of welcome for their former player. It also added to the suspicion that England steal all their best players only to drop them soon after and thus make them ineligible for their home country.
Paul Collingwood was asked about this at the pre-match press conference and the gist of the question was that English cricket is Irish cricket's worst enemy. In actual fact it is the Irish players who want to play for England. Paul Stirling, a promising 18-year-old batsman, is playing in this game and a performance against England may bring him to the attention of a county side.
news.bbc.co.uk/sport
But, four days on, they were in action again, taking off their Test whites and putting on their bright red One Day International shirts to play minnows Ireland in a One Day match.
Many of the Irish players were, apparently, supporting England during the Ashes.
But there was no such goodwill from the Irish today.
Ashes hero Trott, who scored 119 runs on his England debut in the Fifth Test of the Ashes, was out for a duck (nought) and so, too, was Ravi Bopara.
Denly was England's star man, scoring 67 in what was his debut for England.
England scored 203-9 after the allotted 50 overs was bowled but then it rained, delaying the match.
A long rain delay usually means a match, when it resumes, must be played according to the Duckworth/Lewis Method of scoring, which only an astrophysicist or a rocket scientist can understand how it works.
The Duckworth/Lewis Method is a mathematical way to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket match (but not Test matches) interrupted by weather or other circumstance. It is generally accepted to be a fair and accurate method of setting a target score, to predict what would have happened had the game come to its natural conclusion (if it hadn't rained, for example).
The D/L method was devised by two English statisticians, Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis.
So, whereas Ireland would normally have needed 204 runs to win, they actually needed 116 runs to win according to the D/L Method.
They only made 113, England scraping to victory by just two runs.
However, this could have been viewed as a weakened England side, with only four of their players having played in the Fifth Test of the Ashes.
Ireland take wind out of England's sails
Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara both scored ducks against Ireland in Stormont before rain put a further dampener on England's first match since winning the Ashes.
By Nick Hoult
27 Aug 2009
The Telegraph
One Day International (Stormont Castle, Belfast)
England: 203-9
Ireland: 113-9
England win by 2 runs (Duckworth/Lewis Method)
Ireland: Porterfield (C), N O'Brien (W), Stirling, Botha, K O'Brien, White, Cusack, Mooney, Johnston, McCallan, West
England: Denly, Bopara, J Trott, Prior (W), Collingwood (C), O Shah, L Wright, Rashid, Swann, Bresnan, Sidebottom
Duck: Jonathan Trott departs after he fell to Trent Johnston Photo: PA
SCORECARDS
England
Bopara - 0
Denly - 67
Trott - 0
Prior - 29
Collingwood - 9
Shah - 21
Wright - 36
Rashid - 7
Swann - 5
Bresnan - 14 not out
Sidebottom - 5 not out
Extras - 10
TOTAL - 203 (for 9)
------------------------
Ireland
Porterfield - 4
N O'Brien - 12
Stirling - 30
Botha - 15
K O'Brien - 4
Mooney - 9
Johnston - 21 not out
White - 1
West - 0
Cusack - 0
McCallan - 5 not out
Extras - 12
TOTAL - 113 (for 9)
Four years ago England's post-Ashes bounce came crashing down in the surroundings of Multan, an industrial town in the heartland of Pakistan.
There England lost a Test match and started a steady decline that ended with an Ashes whitewash.
Today, in a rather different setting of Stormont Castle in Belfast, England began life as Ashes holders with a low key one-day international against Ireland.
Kent opener Denly underlined his potential with 67 runs on his England debut
Stormont is a club ground nestled beneath the imposing Northern Ireland Assembly and with its red brick pavilion and marquees ringing the outfield it had more of a county festival feel this morning rather than an international cricket match.
The England players have, at least publicly, said all the right things about this match being an opportunity to prove they have refocused just four days after the euphoria of beating Australia at The Oval.
But with a slow pitch, soggy outfield and a crackly PA system, which sounded borrowed from London Underground, you would not be surprised if the four players who were at the Oval on Sunday and playing today were not wondering why they are here.
The reason is to boost Irish cricket and have a little match practice before the Twenty20 international on Sunday against Australia. Andy Flower, the team director, conducted a lengthy team meeting here yesterday and he will no doubt have pressed home what is at stake.
For three England players making their debuts today there are international careers to form. Joe Denly's much anticipated international debut looked promising but Trott followed a barnstorming Ashes debut with a duck in his first 50-over match.
The third debutant, leg-spinner Adil Rashid, is in brilliant county form with successive hundreds and five wicket hauls, and the selectors are keen to see him in action at the end of this summer before choosing the squad to tour South Africa.
England left out Irish-born Eoin Morgan to the disappointment of the crowd and the Irish team who had planned a few words of welcome for their former player. It also added to the suspicion that England steal all their best players only to drop them soon after and thus make them ineligible for their home country.
Paul Collingwood was asked about this at the pre-match press conference and the gist of the question was that English cricket is Irish cricket's worst enemy. In actual fact it is the Irish players who want to play for England. Paul Stirling, a promising 18-year-old batsman, is playing in this game and a performance against England may bring him to the attention of a county side.
news.bbc.co.uk/sport
Last edited: