ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022, Round 1, Group B, West Indies v Ireland: Brandon King's 62, Gareth Delany's 3-16 and Paul Stirling's 66 are top performances. Ireland beat West Indies by 9 wickets and move to top of the table in Group B. West Indies knocked out.
Brief Scores: West Indies 146/5 (King 62*, Delany 3/16, Singh 1/11) lost to Ireland 150/1 (Stirling 66*, Tucker 45*, Hosein 1/38) by 9 wickets
Player of the Match: Gareth Delany (3/16 in his 4 overs)
After winning one match each in their first round matches of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, two-time World T20 champions West Indies took on Ireland in a must win clash. Earlier, West Indies suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Scotland, while Ireland snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the same opponents.
The second last match of the first round matches was played between West Indies and Ireland at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart. It was a clear equation for both teams as a win in this game would have sufficed for reaching the Super 12 stage of the tournament, while the losing team will be going home early.
Spirited bounce back from Ireland
West Indies won the toss and opted to bat first. The likes of Evin Lewis, Johnson Charles and skipper Nicholas Pooran were looking set and could have done some damage to Ireland's bowling line-up. However, all of them threw away their wickets due to poor shot selection.
For the bowling team, Gareth Delany was simply excellent with the ball as he took three wickets for his side and gave away just 16 runs in his quota of four overs. In reply, Ireland made a mockery of West Indies' total with Paul Stirling remaining unbeaten for his 66 runs as the former T20 champions bowed out of the competition.
Ireland clinical in their performance against West Indies
West Indies yet again had a poor start with the bat after they lost one of their openers, Kyle Mayers, in the third over of the match. Apart from him, several West Indies batters got starts but none of them managed to convert it into a big tally. Brandon King was the only man who looked solid as he remained unbeaten on 62 at the end of the first essay. The Men in Maroon finally reached 146 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
In reply, Ireland opening batter Paul Stirling stroked a well-made fifty and ensured that his team won easily in the end. Skipper Andrew Balbirnie also played a handy knock of 37 runs in just 23 balls.
Wicketkeeper batter Lorcan Tucker played a really handy knock of unbeaten 45 runs. Both Stirling and Tucker kept the ball milking for singles and doubles and hit the odd boundary in between.
Let’s scan the top three performances from the game between West Indies and Ireland in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
Gareth Delany completely bamboozles the West Indies batting line-up
Leg-spinner Gareth Delany spun a web around the West Indies batters as he took a total of three wickets and was very economical as well. The 25-year-old spinner gave away only 16 runs in his four-overs.
Delany first clipped out the wicket of West Indies senior batter Evin Lewis who looked fidgety at the wicket. Then he grabbed the wicket of skipper Nicholas Pooran who was planning to accelerate. Delany did not stop there as he then took the wicket of another hard-hitter Rovman Powell and completely derailed the West Indies innings. He was also adjudged Player of the Match for his excellent performance.
Read More: T20 World Cup 2022, R1, Gr B, WI v ZIM: Pacers win the game from WI; all teams at 2 points in Gr B
Brandon King plays a superb knock under pressure
Even when the wickets were falling around him, talented batter Brandon King held his composure and bailed out his team from a tricky situation. The right-handed batter came to the crease when West Indies were 27/2 in 4.2 overs, with Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles back in the pavilion.
Meanwhile, King held his ground and played a remarkable inning of 62* runs in 48 balls and stroked six fours and one maximum as his team reached 146 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
Read More: T20 World cup 2022, R1, Gr B, SCO v IRE: Campher's 72*(32) helps Ireland win; Gr B also thrown open
Paul Stirling shows his class
Ireland opening batter and experienced hand, Paul Stirling brought his best in a do-or-die encounter. The right-handed batter took charge against the West Indies bowling line-up as he looked proactive throughout the innings.
Stirling remained unbeaten on 66 runs and gave no chances to the Men in Maroon to get back into the competition. The right-handed batter will want to continue his red-hot form in the Super 12 stage as well with the hopes of millions of Irish fans pinned on him.
ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 Group B Points Table
What's Next for both teams
While the West Indies side will bow out of the competition after losing two matches in three games, Ireland have now qualified for the main round and they will want to continue their good form ahead as well. Whether Ireland join Group 1 or 2, depends on the outcome of the last match of Group B between Zimbabwe and Scotland which is scheduled at the same venue on Friday evening.
Read More: T20 World Cup 2022, R1, Group B, ZIM v IRE: Raza's 82, Muzarabani's 3-15 help Zimbabwe to 31-run win
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