England down gutsy Ireland at Lord’s

Debutant fast bowler Josh Tongue marked his call-up into the Ashes squad with a five-wicket haul as England beat Ireland by 10 wickets inside three days at Lord’s but only after a record partnership of 163 between tailenders Mark Adair and Andy McBrine, AFP reported.

England were well-placed for an innings win when Ireland started the day needing 255 more runs to make Ben Stokes’s men bat again.

But Ireland, handicapped by the absence of injured opener James McCollum kept England at bay while Harry Tector (51) and Lorcan Tucker helped add 118 runs in the morning session for the loss of just three wickets.

Ireland yet to win any of their seven Tests then ran riot during a record Ireland stand between the seventh-wicket duo of McBrine (86 not out) and Adair (88).

Fast bowler Adair, whose previous highest Test score was 32 against Bangladesh in Mirpur in April, went to fifty with a four off Stuart Broad.