Ireland captain Will Porterfield believes his side can take on the world ahead of Friday’s one-day international with England.

Porterfield will be in action for Ireland at Malahide, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.30am, as England begin their preparations for the World Cup and the Ashes.

The Ireland skipper says the future is looking bright after his country were awarded Test status alongside Afghanistan last June.

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“Getting it over the line has been a massive achievement both on and off the pitch,” Porterfield said.

“A lot of credit goes to everyone that’s been involved in that, but the journey is just starting now for a lot of us.

“We’ve got to lay the foundations when we can actually kick on and become a serious force in world cricket.”

Porterfield believes 25 players are competing for a place in England’s final 15-man squad for the World Cup, but the 34-year-old isn’t daunted by Friday’s challenge.

“With the crop of players and depth they have, it’s slightly irrelevant who comes in for them,” Porterfield added.

“They’re the top-ranked team [in the world] at the minute. The way they’re playing one-day cricket, it proves to be an exciting game.

“They’re in a very strong place but we’re concentrating on what we have to do. We have a couple of young lads coming in; they’re exciting in their own right and deserve that opportunity.

Porterfield is confident Ireland can replicate Scotland’s famous six-run victory against England last June.

“If you get any Ireland-England game, in whatever sport or context, it adds a bit extra,” Porterfield added.

“We’ve had a couple of decent contests with them here in the past. One was a very good opportunity to knock them over.

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