The underdogs were ahead for most of the game, and rain intervened just as England were threatening to fight back
\nMALBOURNE
\nMinnows Ireland pulled off a huge upset on Wednesday, stunning world number two England by five runs with a fine bowling display in a rain-affected match to throw the Twenty20 World Cup wide open.
\nAfter being sent in to bat, Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie (62) led his team to 92-1 off 10 overs before a mid-order collapse saw them all out for 157 with four balls remaining.
\nBut England slumped to 29-3 with just one boundary in the first five overs as the Irish bowlers found pace and movement, and they struggled to get any momentum.
\nEighteen minutes were lost to rain at the beginning of the game and the players were taken off again with England on 105-5 off 14.3 overs just as Moeen Ali was getting into his stride.
\nEngland were five runs behind on the DLS scoring method, giving Ireland a famous victory when the game was called off a few minutes later.
\nIt was Ireland\u2019s second massive upset of the tournament after they beat West Indies in the first round to send the two-time champions home.
\nEngland were among the title favourites and heavily-fancied to beat Ireland after opening their tournament with a fice-wicket win over Afghanistan at the weekend.
\nInstead the shock defeat has thrown Group 1 wide open with Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland and England all now with one win and one loss. Unbeaten New Zealand and Afghanistan play later on Wednesday.
\nMorning drizzle cleared for the toss at an eerily quiet MCG after compared to the electric atmosphere when 90,000 packed the venue on Sunday for compared India incredible last-ball win over Pakistan.
\nEngland skipper Jos Buttler sent Ireland in and Mark Wood accounted for dangerous opener Paul Stirling, caught for 14 by Sam Curran at the ropes. Wood was bowling at an explosive 154kph (96mph), the fastest of the tournament so far.
\nHe caught Balbirnie on the finger, with treatment needed, but the Irish captain soldiered on, with both he and Lorcan Tucker regularly finding the boundary.
\nTheir partnership ended when Tucker was run out for 34.
\nHarry Tector was caught behind by Buttler off Wood two balls later, but Balbirnie stayed cool, reaching his eighth T20 half-century before holing out to Alex Hales off Liam Livingstone.
\nA yorker from Livingstone removed George Dockrell the next delivery before Wood grabbed his third with Curtis Campher (17) the victim.
\nLivingstone matched Wood\u2019s three-wicket haul when Mark Adair was caught in the deep.
\nEngland had a horror start with Buttler out second ball to the dangerous Josh Little, edging to wicketkeeper Tucker, and the out-of-form Hales followed him in the third over with Little again doing the damage.
\nBen Stokes, so often the hero, only lasted eight balls, bowled by Fionn Hand, who was preferred to spinner Simi Singh, to leave England in deep trouble.
\nThey crawled to just 64-3 after 10 overs, the halfway point of the innings, and Harry Brook (18) became another victim an over later, pulling George Dockrell to Gareth Delay at midwicket.
\nDawid Malan was dropped twice in two balls on 23 but finally fell for a scratchy 35, top edging Barry McCarthy to Hand in the deep.
\nAli (24 not out) began hitting out before the rain arrived to end England\u2019s hopes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The underdogs were ahead for most of the game, and rain intervened just as England were threatening to fight back MALBOURNE Minnows Ireland pulled off a huge upset on Wednesday, stunning world number two England by five runs with a fine bowling display in a rain-affected match to throw the Twenty20 World Cup wide open. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291825,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-291808","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n