IRELAND head coach Henrik Malan is banking on a special atmosphere in Malahide when his team takes on England in a three-match T20 series this week.

The north Dublin venue will be full to capacity on Sunday and Friday, with just a few seats available for tomorrow’s series opener, which starts at 1.30pm.

‘We haven't played in Malahide for a little period, obviously,’ Malan said yesterday. ‘But when we played India there and when we played New Zealand there in the last couple of years, it's always buzzing. There’s always a nice atmosphere and, you know, hopefully, the way the players fall, and we can have three good games of cricket.’

England have rested those players who are also in the Test team, giving them some break before they travel Down Under for the Ashes this winter, meaning no Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook and Jofra Archer, among others.

Does that mean Ireland have more of an opportunity to beat them this week?

‘I don't think we necessarily look at it that way,’ Malan replied. ‘We look at their squad, and we try to cope, prepare accordingly. They’ve still got lots of good players in there that shown over periods of time that there's lots of quality there.

‘And accordingly, we'll make sure that that we do the preparation and rock up prepared.’

While the sides have met 15 times in ODIs, there have been just two meetings in the short format, both at World Cups. In 2010 Ireland were well placed to win, having kept England to 120-8 but the match was abandoned in a thunderstorm. Then three years ago Ireland made 157 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and were on top when the match was cut short by rain, happily winning on Duckworth-Lewis.

That was the game made famous by the ‘ball of the century’, Fionn Hand’s lethal inswinger that demolished Ben Stokes stumps.

The fact that this is a first T20 series between the sides has been a big seller for Cricket Ireland, who have emphasised its historic nature,

‘We we've obviously faced them twice in T20 before,’ said Malan. ‘It's the first time we play a series against them. I think the first game got rained off, and then there's that that special night that we had at the MCG in the in the 22 World Cup.

‘Anytime we're playing, we know there's a nice rivalry between the two teams. And it has been like that over the years.’

England may be missing some stars, but they have plenty of talent on show, not least Phil Salt, who just broke his own English record with a score of 141 not out against South Africa last week. And the visitors are placing hopes for the future in Jacob Bethel, who will become England’s youngest ever captain when he leads out his side.

‘We don't have anything to do with who they select. We just know we're playing England, and we've seen in times go by they've got a depth of player that is really competitive.

‘There's still some experience within their squad with your Phil Salts, your Josh Buttlers and Adil Rashid.’

Ireland are also stripped of some of their best players, especially in the bowling department where there was an apparent jinx on those who bowled in that win at the MCG. Josh Little (rib) and Mark Adair (knee) are out injured, while Barry McCarthy has just returned after missing most of the summer. Fionn Hand has been crocked all year and his return to action came too late to win selection.

Perhaps the most horrific injury was suffered by Gareth Delany, who broke his cheekbone, nose and eye socket in a fielding collision in June. But the Leinster CC man is made of stern stuff and less than 11 weeks later he was back playing for his club.

If he plays tomorrow ,it will be his 100th game for his country. ‘It will be a great honour and if I’m picked in the squad it would be great to make it at home in front of family and friends,’ he told Cricket Europe.

While England have been playing T20 and the Hundred all summer, and are fresh from a tied series with South Africa, Ireland have played only one T20 since February.

And given a chance of a warm-up ‘best v best’ series last week, it was decided to play three 50-over games.

Malan explained: ‘Obviously, it was badly weather affected, and you obviously choose to play 50 over games instead of T20s. It's trying to find that balance between you know, we know that we don't necessarily have all the, you know, the amount of cricket that that we wanted across the board.

‘You know, and we've got that high enterprises as the T20 World Cup that is coming up.

‘But, you know, there's also trying to ensure we go about our business and working away towards that 2027 ODI World Cup piece.’

The coach has been hampered by an empty fixture list caused by the cancellation of the EuroSlam T20.

‘From our point of view, we always want to play as much cricket as possible. It hasn't necessarily happened.

‘And we've also had a lot of weather coming our way, which is, you know, it's just been, one of those summers, I guess.’