Ireland shock England with T20 World Cup victory in Melbourne

Ireland's fine form at the T20 World Cup has continued in Melbourne with a dramatic rain-affected victory over England at the MCG.

First to bat, Ireland managed a healthy 157 from 19.2 overs, with captain Andrew Balbirnie setting the example with an excellent 62 off 47 balls at the top of the order.

England came out to chase, and while Ireland continued to impress with some fine bowling, the rain came down in the Victoria capital and the match was determined by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, ensuring the victory.

Balbirnie's fine knock underpinned Ireland’s all out tally of 157, although his dismissal was the start of a collapse that saw Ireland lose their last seven wickets in 24 deliveries.

But England lurched to 86 for five under heavy cloud cover and, despite a late burst of boundaries from Moeen Ali, they were still short of the DLS par when the heavens opened.

The delay proved terminal as England, on 105 for five when the downpour started, slipped to a five-run defeat under the DLS method, delivering a hammer blow to their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

Eleven years on from the 50-over World Cup upset win over the same opponents at Bangalore, Ireland have blown this Super 12s group wide open with England needing to win their three remaining fixtures to finish in the top-two.

The only previous T20 World Cup clash between these teams in 2010 was also impacted by rain, which forced a no-result with the game tantalisingly poised, and England benefited on that occasion as they progressed at Ireland’s expense by virtue of a superior net run-rate before going on to win the entire World Cup.