England´s Plunkett shows debutant Archer the way against Ireland

DUBLIN: England´s Liam Plunkett reminded debutant Jofra Archer he is still a force to be reckoned with ahead of a home World Cup with a four-wicket haul in Friday´s one-day international in Ireland.

Plunkett took four wickets for 35 runs in seven overs as Ireland were dismissed for 198 at Dublin´s Malahide ground.

By contrast Archer, who finished with one for 40 in eight overs, saw his first ball in international cricket hit for four after Dublin-born England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss in a match reduced to 45 overs per side by a wet outfield.

Ireland captain William Porterfield and fellow opener Paul Stirling got the hosts´ innings off to a brisk start.

But from 55 without loss, Ireland slumped to 77 for four.

Ireland, still smarting at their exclusion from a World Cup that has been reduced to just 10 teams, were unable to bat out their 45 overs, with 11 balls left when the innings ended.

Barbados-born Archer, on for the second over of England´s first international of a packed season, saw his opening delivery struck sweetly through point for four by Stirling.

The Middlesex batsman took three more boundaries off Archer in an opening four-over spell from the Sussex seamer costing 21 runs.

But Archer, living up to his reputation as a fine fielder, helped break the opening stand with a diving low catch at mid-on off Tom Curran to dismiss Stirling for 33.

Next over, Porterfield was caught down the legside off Plunkett by wicket-keeper Ben Foakes, making his ODI debut having already played Test cricket.

Kevin O´Brien, who made a brilliant hundred when Ireland beat England in Bangalore at the 2011 World Cup, could only manage four before he hit Curran to backward point.

Andrew Balbirnie´s painstaking 29 ended when Foakes, cleverly holding onto the ball, waited for the batsman to over-balance after missing a sweep off Joe Denly and then whipped off the bails to complete a stumping.

Ireland were now 111 for six and Archer, returning for a second spell, showed what he was capable of with a 90.3 mile per hour yorker that bowled Mark Adair soon after his fellow debutant had hit Curran for two sixes.

Plunkett and Curran then wrapped up the innings between them.