England v Ireland: First one-day international abandoned without any play

Conditions were not considered fit enough by umpires Mike Burns and Adrian Holdstock for play to start

England's first one-day international against Ireland at Headingley was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Rain was replaced by sunshine by mid-afternoon in Leeds but conditions did not improve sufficiently before a 17:32 cut-off for a 20-over-a-side game.

The forecast for the remainder of the evening was good but the umpires had safety concerns over wet areas on the bowlers' run-ups at the Pavilion End.

England face Ireland in the second ODI at Trent Bridge on Saturday.

Joe Root was the only member of England's squad for the World Cup who had been slated to play at Headingley as he searched for some time in the middle before the tournament in India.

Zak Crawley, England's captain for the three-match series against Ireland, said he did not expect Root to play at Trent Bridge, or in the final ODI of the summer in Bristol next Tuesday.

Root struggled for form in his last four innings for England in ODIs - making 6, 0, 4 and 29 - during their recent four-match series against New Zealand.

England's defence of the World Cup they won so thrillingly in 2019 begins with a match against New Zealand in Ahmedabad on 5 October.