Is this a portent of another great Cricket World Cup shock?
Ireland's World Cup campaign begins this Sunday against West Indies in New Zealand, and going by this morning's display, the men from the Caribbean look like potential victims for yet another famous Blarney Army scalp.
With warm-up matches for the competition in full flow (Ireland play Scotland tomorrow before taking on Bangladesh on Thursday), West Indies took on England at the Sydney Cricket Ground and were absolutely demolished.
Ireland's pace bowlers will have been encouraged by a five-wicket haul for Chris Woakes as a strong Windies line-up was bowled out for a paltry 122, a target which England reached for the loss of just one wicket in less than 23 overs.
https://twitter.com/andrewnixon79/status/564700953610166273
Warm-ups are warm-ups but who knows how long a defeat like this will linger with the notoriously unreliable West Indies, with just one more match against Scotland before the first live rounds are fired against Ireland on Sunday morning.
