A world record fifth wicket partnership for one day internationals proved decisive in today’s RSA Challenge, which featured two cracking centuries by Irishmen but was won by the team which calls itself England.

Ireland coach Phil Simmons believes cricket has gone from strength to strength in the country since his side's stunning World Cup win over England.

Ireland captain William Porterfield hopes Boyd Rankin will be one of the last Irishmen to line up against his own country.

Eoin Morgan has backed England team-mate and fellow Irishman Boyd Rankin to win a place in his adopted country's Test side.

Mike Hendrick was charged with changing the amateur culture of the Irish Cricket Union – as Cricket Ireland was then – and producing a team that could compete and win on days such as this.

Eoin Morgan may have grown up dreaming of playing Test cricket for England, but never would he have imagined himself defending a perceived slighting of the country of his birth.