Jordan Cox battled through a knee injury to score his first international half-century, guiding England to a six-wicket victory over Ireland in the final T20 international at Malahide. The win secured a 2-0 series triumph for the visitors.
Cox, who jarred his knee while taking a catch in the deep during Ireland's innings, struck a 35-ball 55 in a chase of 155. His knock, combined with Tom Banton's unbeaten 37, helped England recover from 33 for two and reach the target with ease.
Earlier, Ireland were restricted to 154 for six after being put in to bat. Liam Dawson, Rehan Ahmed and Adil Rashid each took two wickets, with Rashid's googlies proving particularly effective. Ross Adair top-scored with 33 off 23 balls, but Ireland's middle order failed to build on a solid start.
England made two changes, bringing in Cox and seamer Sonny Baker, who endured a tough day with figures of none for 52 from four overs. Jos Buttler fell for a duck to a stunning catch by Curtis Campher at short cover.
Cox, who was not originally in the touring party, said: 'I seem to do well in an Oval shirt. I was like, this is just franchise cricket and I’m playing for the Oval, so just enjoy it. To get in this team is pretty tough. There wasn’t a chance I wasn’t going to bat because I might have to wait another two years.'
