Cox's maiden fifty seals England six-wicket win, and series

Jordan Cox has spent the past 10 months desperate for another chance in international cricket and grasped this end-of-season opportunity. He cracked 55 off 35 balls at a sold-out Malahide, setting up another comfortable England win to seal this series 2-0, after their spinners restricted Ireland to 154.

Named in squads across formats last summer, Cox's first five England innings revealed an apparent vulnerability against the short ball and brought him just 37 runs. He was on the cusp of a Test debut in New Zealand last November when he fractured his thumb in the nets, and later sought help from a psychologist to help him get over the disappointment of being ruled out of the series.

But he has thrived for Essex this year - he has hit three hundreds in the County Championship and one in the Blast - and was a late addition to this squad after he was named MVP in the Hundred. Handed his chance in Dublin, with Oval Invincibles team-mate Sam Curran absent on best-man duties at a friend's wedding, Cox produced his first convincing knock in an England shirt.

Cox's partnerships of 57 and 49 with Phil Salt and Tom Banton respectively removed any sense of jeopardy from England's chase after Curtis Campher's stunning early catch - diving full-stretch to his right at short extra cover - removed Jos Buttler for a second-ball duck. Cox batted through discomfort after jarring his knee while taking a catch; his only frustration was that he could not quite take England home himself.

Instead, it was Banton who calmly knocked the winning single into the leg side to seal a six-wicket win with 17 balls unused and duly finishing unbeaten on 37. The singular blemish for England was a second unconvincing white-ball debut of the month for Sonny Baker, whose first four overs in T20Is cost 52 runs.

Cox has had dreadful luck with injuries. He had not played since the Hundred final due to a minor rib injury, and felt soreness in his knee after taking a catch at midwicket early in Ireland's innings. He then jarred it on the soft outfield while taking a second, and spent the last two overs off the field receiving treatment.

But after Friday's rain cost him another chance to play for England, he resolved to bat through the pain. "There wasn't a chance that I wasn't going to bat, because I might have had to wait another two years," Cox said. He hit four sixes, including two pick-ups over backward square leg, in his 31-ball half-century.

The key, he said, was pretending that he was wearing Oval Invincibles teal instead of England red. "I was just like, 'Come on, this is just franchise cricket and I'm playing for the Oval, so just enjoy it and have a bit of fun.' That's what I do when I'm there. Why not try it everywhere?"

Cox looks set to miss the cut when England name their Ashes squad next week, but hopes to be involved in their white-ball tour to New Zealand next month: "I'd love to play for England, whatever that is ... My goal, and what I want to achieve in my career, is [to be] in an England shirt."

Conditions in Dublin's coastal suburbs could hardly have been further removed from those that these teams will encounter at February's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The run-chase was delayed by nearly an hour due to squally showers, and the temperature peaked at just 13 degrees Celsius on a bitingly cold day.

But on a surface being used for the second time in five days, England stuck to the spin-heavy formula that they will employ at that tournament. Though Jamie Overton showed what might have been for the quicks with 2 for 17 in four economical overs, they were vindicated in doing so. Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson have been ever-present across England's seven T20Is this summer and returned combined figures of 5 for 38 from six overs, while Rehan Ahmed had Ross Adair caught on the slog-sweep after an explosive cameo of 33 off 23 balls.

Dawson struck in the Powerplay, having Paul Stirling caught behind on review, then had Harry Tector caught on the reverse-sweep. Rashid was slog-swept for six by Ireland debutant Ben Calitz but had him caught off the top edge looking to repeat the trick, then trapped Barry McCarthy lbw first-ball. From 102 for 7, only Gareth Delany prevented Ireland being bowled out.

Baker recorded eye-watering figures of 0 for 76 on ODI debut against South Africa earlier this month, and his T20I bow went the same way. Adair tucked into him early, launching him over mid-off for six and slapping him over the off side, before Delany cashed in at the death, picking him up over deep backward square leg for consecutive sixes.

Delany marshalled the strike well at the death, turning down several singles to face 25 of the last 28 balls. He belted two more straight fours in Baker's final over, registering his highest score (48 not out) against a Full-Member opponent. It left Baker with the third-costliest figures for an England T20I debutant; his 11 overs in international cricket to date have brought 128 runs.