Kwallon kafa a Ireland ya kasance kamar waka kuma wani lokacin rikici, sau da yawa ya karye, amma koyaushe tare da cikakken sha'awa. Wannan bazara ba ta bambanta ba. Masu kallon Ireland sun tsaya cikin ruwan sama, sun rera wakokinsu, kuma sun yi ta murna ga kowane motsi, juyawa, da rufe bugawa. Sun ji zafi, sun yi bikin lokutan sihiri, kuma yanzu suna zaune a tashar wannan labarin T20I.

A ranar 21 ga Satumba, 2025, The Village, Malahide, zai zama filin wasan mafarkai. Ana shiga wasan karshe, Ireland na gaba da jerin wasanni 0-1 bayan wasan farko ya tashi, inda suka samu damar buga 196 kafin a wanke wasa na biyu kafin ya fara. Ga masu masaukin baki, wannan ba karin wasa bane; dama ce don nuna cewa za su iya kwace sarautar daya daga cikin manyan kungiyoyi na zamani a tarihin kriket. Ga England, batun shine kammala balaguron bazara cikin salo; batun shine nuna iko kafin a shirya don Ashes.

Kamar yadda ake yi a wasan kriket, an shirya wannan kari don samar da damar farko. Don haka, ko kuna tare da masu buga kwallon England ko kuma kuna tare da ruhun 'yan wasan Ireland da ke fafutuka, Stake ba zai taba dakatar da wasan ba lokacin da aka kira wasan. Yi rijista, goyi baya, juyawa, kuma ku zauna ku more wasan, har ma a wajen fili.

Labarin kriket na Ireland gaba daya labarin fafutuka ne da kalubale. Ba su da damar tattalin arziki ko kuma damar wasan da manyan kungiyoyi ke da shi, amma suna bada gudummawa cikin himma, sha'awa, da kuma juriyar da ba ta gushewa.

A wasan T20I na farko, 'yan wasan Ireland sun samu wasu abubuwa masu ban sha'awa. Harry Tector, yana da shekaru 25 kacal, yanzu yana zamowa tauraruwar buga kwallon kafa ta gaba a Ireland. Bugun sa na 61 a wasa 36, ba wai kawai bugun tsawaitawa bane amma bugun da ke da illa, ya kasance mai hikima da lalacewa. Ya zabi lokutansa, ya amfana da wuce gona da iri, kuma ya taka rawar karin nauyi kamar kwararre. Abokin sa, Lorcan Tucker, shi ne wanda ke da saurin bugawa da kuma bugun 55 mai kwarin gwiwa, ciki har da bugawa hudu masu tsayi, kowace bugawa ta sa Malahide ta yi ta zare.

Kaptan Paul Stirling har yanzu shi ne zuciya da rai na wannan kungiya. Bugun sa na 34 a wasan farko ya ba da sanarwa a lokaci na da ya dace cewa har yanzu yana iya tura tawagarsa gaba. Bayan an faɗi haka, ya san yana buƙatar yin wani muhimmin wasa idan Ireland za ta ci England. Wannan yanayin sa ne; wannan fagen fama ce ta sa.

Matsalar Ireland na fannin tattara kwallaye. Graham Hume ya kasance mai karfi, ya samu wasu kwallaye, amma bai samu goyon baya sosai ba. Matthew Humphreys, dan wasan tsakiya mai hazaka da rashi hannu, ya nuna kwarin gwiwa a wasu lokuta amma yana da masu bugun kwallon kamar Craig Young da Barry McCarthy wadanda dole ne su tallafa masa. Idan Ireland na son kirkirar labarin tarihi, 'yan kwallonsu za su buƙaci su sami kwallaye na farko kuma su rage Salt da Buttler kafin su samu kansu a tsaye.

• Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Barry McCarthy, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, da Craig Young. 

England ta isa Dublin kamar kwararrun mayaka. Sun ga komai—Kofunan Duniya, Ashes, rudanin sauran lokuta—amma duk da haka, kowane jerin wasanni kamar wani jerin wasanni ne don nuna karfinsu.

• Phil Salt shine sunan da kowa ke magana akai. Bugun sa na 89 daga wasa 46 a wasa na farko ba wai kawai bugun ba ne; ya kasance kamar lalatawa. Ya kai hari ga masu bugun kwallon Ireland da cikakkiyar fahimta da ta yi magana mai yawa. Salt ba kawai game da gudun wasa bane; yana saita yanayi kuma yana saita murya. 

• A saman jeri na bugawa na England zai kasance Jos Buttler, masanin rashin hankali mai gaskiya. Bugun sa na sauri na 28 a wasan farko ya taimaka wa Salt ya fara bugawa cikin tsoro. Wadannan biyu suna daya daga cikin manyan rukunoni masu haɗari a duniya.

• Amma karfin England ba ya tsaya a saman ba. Tsakiyar jerin wasan da Sam Curran, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, da Jamie Overton wani tsakiyar jeri ne da aka tsara don lalatawa. Musamman, Curran na iya zama wanda ke kawo nasara da bugawa da kuma tattara kwallaye a cikin 'yan mintuna kadan.

Sannan, akwai fashewar kwallon, wanda ya kunshi nauyin dabaru da kuma wuta. Adil Rashid ya kasance zaɓin turare na farko na Ingila tsawon shekaru kuma Liam Dawson ya kara masa kwanciyar hankali, sannan kuma kuna da Luke Wood, wanda ke ba da sauri, kuma Jamie Overton, wanda ke kara wuta ga fashewar sauri. Tare da zurfin jeri na bugawa, England za su sami fashewar kwallon mai hankali.

• Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell (c), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood 

Bayan takaicin ruwan sama da ba ya tsayawa har zuwa lokacin shayi a wasan T20I na biyu, yanayin yanayi ya inganta sosai. Lahadi ana sa ran samun sararin sama mai haske da kuma yanayin zafi na kimanin 13°C. Duk da cewa sanyi ne, zai bushe sosai don cikakken yini na wasa.

A al'ada, filin wasa na The Village yana da wuri ga masu bugawa, amma ruwan sama na baya-bayan nan na iya kawo wasu abubuwa masu ban mamaki a farko. Ina tsammanin masu bugun kwallon za su yi ta juyawa da kwallon a cikin yanayi mara nauyi, amma bayan filin ya ragu kuma kwallon ta rasa tsananinta, gudun wasa zai zo. Koyaya, ina tsammanin wani abu a kusa da 200 shine yiwuwar zama kusan yawan ci, ma'ana juyawa zai zama muhimmi. Duk masu sarauta za su so su buga farko sannan su sami kwarin gwiwa game da jeri na bugawa wanda ke gudana a karkashin hasken wuta.

Duk da cewa suna da irin wannan rikodin, Ingila ta kasance mafi kyawun kungiya tsawon shekaru da yawa. Nasarar Ireland guda daya ta yi nisa, kuma har yanzu akwai gibin kwarewa tsakanin kungiyoyin biyu. Ga Ireland, duk da haka, nasara a wannan wasan zai zama alamar cewa suna iya wasa da manyan 'yan wasa a ranarsu.

Kammalawar wannan jerin wasanni ba kawai game da Ingila da Ireland bane. Ga bangaren Ingila, yana nuna gudun karshe kafin sanarwar tawagar Ashes. Babban wasa, musamman daga 'yan wasan gefe kamar Salt ko Overton, na iya ba su tikitin jirgin sama zuwa Ostiraliya.

Ga Ireland, batun yana game da damar ci gaba. Nasara za ta haskaka kalandar kriket ɗinsu, ta ƙara kwarin gwiwar 'yan wasa, kuma ta ba magoya bayan gida wani abu da za su yi murna da shi bayan kakar wasa da ruwan sama ya rage.

The Village ya shirya. Magoya baya sun shirya. 'Yan wasa sun shirya. Lahadi zai kasance ko dai mara nauyi kuma cike da rinjayen Ingila ko kuma juyawar abubuwa mai ban mamaki wacce za ta girgiza duniya ta kriket.