Ireland dump two-time winners West Indies out of the T20 World Cup
Two-time champions West Indies suffered an unceremonious early exit from the T20 World Cup as Ireland pounded them by nine wickets to come to the Super 12s. After the bowlers held West Indies down to 146/5 regardless of Brandon King's 62, Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie set out the marker with a unimaginable opening stand. West Indies broke it yet that is the extent to which they could get with the ball as Ireland finished the chase serenely with 15 balls in spare.
Stirling-Balbirnie take off the blocks
West Indies required early wickets to make a match of their sub-par total however the Irish openers had different plans. They went as fast as possible, raising their 50-run stand in the fifth over. The butchery began in the second over once again - from Akeal Hosein - when the pair hit 16 off it. Nicholas Pooran welcomed on Odean Smith in the PowerPlay even before Jason Holder and that move was totally rebuffed too as Balbirnie crushed four, six, four in the first three balls of a 14-run over.
The fifty partnership fell off a staggering get shot from Balbirnie against a full and wide ball from Obed McCoy, stored over point fence. West Indies' hero from the success over Zimbabwe also was not saved as Alzarri Joseph conceded 20 off his first two overs. The pair took Ireland to 64/0 -the team's highest PowerPlay score in all T20 World Cups.
No post-PowerPlay turnaround?
Akeal Hosein shut down Balbirnie's blitzy innings in the eighth over when he got him caught at in backward point, however that was a simple encouragement. Stirling carried on the Irish juggernaut, even as Pooran got back Joseph search of breakthroughs To exacerbate the situation, Odean Smith bowled a sharp bouncer and took a catch off his own bowling to excuse Lorcan Tucker, only for the umpires to stop him from walking away as Smith appeared to have overstepped on the delivery. That summed up West Indies' flat outing as Tucker too played some big shots on his way to a 35-ball 44 - while also getting the winning runs. Stirling meanwhile, finished unbeaten on 66 off 48 deliveries, with six fours and two sixes.
West Indies' chaotic start with the bat
Barry McCarthy recuperated from the thrashing he got in the previous game to hit the good length hard and eke out an early wicket as Kyle Mayers holed out to mid-off. Johnson Charles then hit back in the following over - off Curtis Campher - with two fours and a big six off a cutter. Yet, off-spinner Simi Singh offered width and got the right-hander to cut one to in backward point. West Indies got 41/2 in the PowerPlay, and went into the middle overs with the need to rapidly change gears.
Struggles in the middle and against spin
West Indies got only 26 runs in the four overs after the PowerPlay as Evin Lewis and Brandon king- once again into the right spot of Shamarh Brooks -revived the West Indies innings rather slowly against the Irish quicks. They got to 67/2 in 10 overs and expected to raise the stakes, however Ireland targetted West Indies' recent weakness - spin bowling - to turn the screws further. Lewis didn't read Gareth Delany's googly and miscued a success to mid-off. Nicholas Pooran, who made a certain beginning and, surprisingly, pulled a Joshua Little delivery into the stands, was scattered by the flight presented by Delany too as he cut one to deep point. . Delany had his third when Rovman Powell slog-swept him straight to the deep square leg fielder in the 17th over. He finished with figures of 3 for 16 in 4 overs, including 12 dot balls.
Brandon king pushes on
Despite the destruction around him, king proceeded to get a 39-ball half-century and combined efforts with Odean Smith for a three-over flourish toward the end. The pair hit 34 off the last three overs to push West Indies to 145/6. As it turned it, that absolute ended up being grossly insufficient.
Match Summary
West Indies 146/5 in 20 overs (Brandon King 62, Johnson Charles 24; Gareth Delany 3-16) lost to Ireland 150/1 in 17.3 overs (Paul Stirling 65*, Andrew Balbirnie 37) by 9 wickets
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