As Ireland struggled in the afternoon sunshine, England put themselves in command with the batsmen totally dominating the second day and in the process playing Ireland out of the match. At tea, they were 503 for 2 and in a first innings lead of 331 with 8 wickets still standing. Ollie Pope was unbeaten on 197 and Joe Root on 52.
Resuming on the overnight total of 152 for one, just 20 behind the Ireland total of 172 all out, England continued to pile on the runs. Unlike the previous day’s cloudy conditions at start of play, when Ireland lost 3 wickets within half-an-hour in just 6.3 overs, this time there was bright sunshine and a perfect batting pitch with just a tinge of green.
Ben Duckett, 60 overnight, progressed rapidly and needed just 35 runs to reach his second Test hundred following his 107 against Pakistan in Rawalpindi last December. He got to the three figures with a flick past short mid-wicket off Fionn Hand.
Three balls later his partner at the other end Pope, who was 29 overnight, brought up his twelfth Test half century also with a flicked single from 64 balls. Both batsmen batted with relative ease Duckett took his score to 139 smacking McBrine to the cover boundary.
The 200 of their partnership came in 34.3 overs and Pope got into the nineties with a straight hit to run three off Hand. At lunch he was just three short of his hundred from 120 balls while Duckett had merrily gone along to 161 at just under a run-a-ball, including 21 fours and taking England to 325 for one in 54 overs, a lead of 153.
Pope reached his fourth Test hundred in the second over after the break with three singles, for the last of which he stepped out to drive McBrine to mid-wicket. Hume replaced McBrine and was soon driven by Duckett for four to extra cover which turned out to be his last hit for a boundary.
Pope went on to 112, running three off McBrine to bring up 250 of the stand and the next ball brought an end to a fine innings of 182 from Duckett. He had hit those runs off only 178 balls of which 24 went for fours and a six. He was a bit unlucky as the dragged an angled-in ball outside off, on to his stumps.
The wicket brought an end to an excellent second wicket stand of 252 from 261 balls and placed England in total command. Joe Root joined Pope, the former England captain had come to the crease 52 short of 11,000 Test runs with an average of 50.22. He soon drove Mark Adair to cover for three and that brought 400 on the board for England.
They settled into a 50 partnership in 49 balls and both helped themselves to sixes off McBrine. It took Pope to 148 and Root to 25. Two consecutive fours by Pope off Campher, an elegant straight drive and one through gully took him past 150 and to 2,000 Test runs in his 36th Test match.
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