(UTV|COLOMBO) – England bowled Ireland out for 38 to win the four-day Test by 143 runs and avoid being on the end of a stunning upset.
Ireland, playing their third Test, were chasing 182 for a famous win, only to be demolished by Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad in perfect conditions for seam bowling.
In the damp and gloom and with the floodlights on at Lord’s, Woakes swung the ball for 6-17 and Broad nipped it around for 4-19.
At one stage, three wickets fell for no runs and the last nine for 18 as Ireland registered the seventh lowest total in Test history and the lowest at Lord’s.
Woakes and Broad bowled unchanged through an innings that took only 94 deliveries, the joint-second shortest in Test history and shortest for 95 years.
From England’s perspective, it was a bowling performance that masked the deficiencies of their batsmen, who collapsed in each innings and were reliant on 92 from nightwatchman Jack Leach on Thursday.
Indeed, their first-innings total of 85 was the lowest to win a Test for 112 years.
With the Ashes against Australia less than a week away, England have done little to allay concerns over their top order, while their fast-bowling picture is increasingly crowded.
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