What's new

Ireland tour of the West Indies (2020)

MenInG

MenInG

PakPassion Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Runs
218,123
Monday, September 30, 2019

IRELAND TOUR OF THE WEST INDIES STARTS ON JANUARY 7, 2020

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – West Indies will host Ireland for a full white-ball series of three Colonial Medical Insurance One Day Internationals (ODIs) and three T20 Internationals (T20Is) starting on January 7, 2020 in Barbados, Grenada and St. Kitts.

This will be the first time Ireland have played the West Indies in a full three match series in both ODIs and T20Is. The Colonial Medical Insurance ODIs starts with two day/night games on Tuesday 7 and Thursday, January 9 at Kensington Oval, Barbados, before concluding with a day game at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada on Sunday, January 12. Grenada hosts the first T20I on Wednesday, January 12 before both teams fly to St. Kitts with back-to-back day/night T20Is to conclude the series on Saturday 18 and Sunday, January 19.

“It’s going to be a great start to the new year to welcome Ireland and their fans to the West Indies for this six-match Series. It will be an exciting contest on the pitch as the West Indies play at home for the first time in five months. Off the pitch, we know that two of the most colourful and noisy sets of fans in world cricket will come together to create a great atmosphere for both the Colonial Medical Insurance One Day Series followed by the T20I Series,” said CWI commercial director Dominic Warne.

West Indies won the only ODI that the two sides contested in 2010 at Sabina Park in Jamaica. In February 2014, both teams returned to play in Jamaica where West Indies won the sole ODI played whilst the two-match T20I series was drawn one match apiece.

The most recent ODI encounter in May 2019 featured a world record opening partnership of 365 from openers John Campbell and Shai Hope who both scored centuries in a resounding win for the West Indies.

All told, West Indies have won seven of the nine ODIs and two of the four T20Is the two sides have contested since Ireland’s elevation to the international stage. Ireland announced themselves on the world stage on their first visit to the West Indies at the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup with their famous group stage win over Pakistan at Sabina Park.
 
I fear for the boys in green, their medium pacers will get whacked.
 
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The selection panel of Cricket West Indies (CWI) today named the 14-man squad for the first and second One-Day Internationals of the Colonial Medical Insurance Series against Ireland. The day/night matches will be played at Kensington Oval on Tuesday, January 7 and Thursday, January 9. First ball is 1:30pm (12:30pm Jamaica Time).

There is one change from the squad which played the recent three-match ODI Series against India in December. Jason Holder, number one ranked all-rounder, number four ranked bowler in Test cricket and red ball West Indies captain, who played all three formats in India, has been rested with a view to managing his workload.

Commenting on the squad, Roger Harper, CWI’s Lead Selector said: “The decision was taken to rest Jason due to the heavy workload he has had over the last year. With an important year ahead for West Indies cricket, we saw this as the best opportunity to give him a break to recharge his batteries and refresh his mind so he could be ready to perform at his best as our Test captain throughout 2020, as the number one ranked all-rounder in Test cricket and an important member of the team in the white ball formats.”

Harper added: “The Afghanistan and Indian series told me that the team is making very positive strides. Winning the ODIs against Afghanistan, our first ODI series win for five years, followed by the very competitive performance in against India is testament to that. The team demonstrated a determination to compete and gave it every effort. Against India the batting was consistent and while the bowling had its moments, it is clear that we have to improve our ‘death’ bowling. However, the fact that the team played in such an organised and competitive manner consistently augurs well going forward.

“This series against Ireland offers us the opportunity to build on the performances in India, build confidence as a team and for individual players. Just like the series against Afghanistan, the Ireland series is an important one for us, one we must win.”

The panel also named a 13-man CWI President’s XI squad to face Ireland in a 50 over warm-up match at the Three Ws Oval at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies. This match will be played on Saturday, January 4. First ball is 9am (8am Jamaica Time).

West Indies Squad
Kieron Pollard (Captain)
Sunil Ambris
Roston Chase
Sheldon Cottrell
Shimron Hetmyer
Shai Hope
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Evin Lewis
Keemo Paul
Khary Pierre
Nicholas Pooran
Romario Shepherd
Hayden Walsh jr.

CWI President’s XI Squad
Daren Bravo (Captain)
Sunil Ambris
Sheeno Berridge
Nkrumah Bonner
Dennis Bulli
Joshua DaSilva
Justin Greaves
Akeem Jordan
Brandon King
Yannick Ottley
Kieran Powell
Romario Shepherd
Oshane Thomas

Match Schedule
Saturday, Jan 4: warm-up vs CWI President’s XI – Three Ws Oval, Barbados
Tuesday, Jan 7: 1st Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Kensington Oval, Barbados
Thursday, Jan 9: 2nd Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Kensington Oval
Sunday, Jan 12: 3rd Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
Wednesday, Jan 15: 1st Sandals Resorts T20I – Grenada National Stadium
Saturday, Jan 18: 2nd Sandals Resorts T20I – Warner Park, St Kitts
Sunday, Jan 19: 3rd Sandals Resorts T20I – Warner Park
 
Ireland won the toss and opt to bat

West Indies :

Shai Hope (wk), Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (c), Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Hayden Walsh, Alzarri Joseph, Sheldon CottrellBench:Sunil Ambris, Khary Pierre, Romario Shepherd


Ireland:

Paul Stirling, Gareth Delany, Andrew Balbirnie (c), William Porterfield, Kevin O Brien, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Simi Singh, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Boyd Rankin, Barry McCarthy

IRE 58/2 (12.0) CRR: 4.83
 
In all-round display from West Indies' bowlers spearheaded by Alzarri Joseph's four-for, as well as a fluent 99* from Evin Lewis, saw them come out on top of Ireland in the first ODI at the Kensington Oval.

In his first appearance since becoming Ireland's captain in all formats, Andrew Balbirnie won the toss and elected to bat first on a classic baked Barbadian surface. His side started well before Paul Stirling on 15 pulled a ball from Alzarri Joseph straight to short mid-wicket. Babirnie replaced him and looked in good touch with a cover driven four and a hook for six, but Roston Chase's introduction earned a feather behind, and the Irish skipper departed for 16.

The experienced head of William Porterfield joined debutant Gareth Delany, 13 years his junior, and the pair looked to rebuild. But Delany on 19 bottom-edged a pull shot through to the wicket-keeper off the bowling of Joseph, and Kevin O'Brien was trapped in front for 4 in the Antiguan's next over.

Yet more problems arose for Ireland as Sheldon Cottrell had both Porterfield (15) and Simi Singh (5) caught by Shai Hope, taking the keeper's tally of catches for the innings to four.

But Mark Adair and Lorcan Tucker combined to give their side hope of a reasonable total, putting on 54 for the seventh wicket, including a massive six down the ground by Adair from the bowling of Chase - though other than that the spinner remained miserley conceding just 35 runs from his 10 overs. And when Adair tried to repeat the dose off Hayden Walsh, it ended with Hope whipping the bails off despite having both feet in the air, while Adair was stranded several metres down the pitch.

Two more wickets followed quickly as Tucker was undone by some extra bounce from Joseph, who finished with figures of 4/32, and Andy McBrine holed out to become Walsh's second victim, the leg-spinner ending with 2/30. Boyd Rankin and Barry McCarthy put up some late resistance, adding 30 for the last wicket to leave Ireland 180 all out from 46.1 overs.

West Indies lost Shai Hope early in their reply, caught off the bowling of McCarthy for 13. But Evin Lewis cantered to a 46-ball fifty to place the hosts firmly in control. The next two wickets came courtesy of Simi Singh, with both Brandon King (20) and Shimron Hetmyer (8) top-edging sweeps. Nicholas Pooran looked like he could finish it in a hurry, hitting a huge straight six off McBrine and following it up with a pair of fours. But McBrine had his revenge in his next over, sending the Trinidadian packing for 17.

Lewis however stood firm and continued to score freely, and supported by Chase he guided West Indies inexorably towards their target. There was some late drama, as with one run required for victory, Lewis found himself on strike and still five runs short of a century. But his lofted drive fell just short of the cover boundary, leaving him unbeaten on 99.

The second ODI takes place on Thursday, 9 January at the same venue.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1563529
 
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Ireland Men’s cricket team showed glimpses of promise, but were soundly defeated by a confident West Indies side in the 1st One-Day International of a three-match series today at Kensington Oval, Barbados.

Newly-appointed captain Andrew Balbirnie started his tenure well by winning his first toss, and elected to bat on a track that looked slow but gave encouragement to bowlers who hit a good line and length. The day also featured two other milestones – Gareth Delany was making his ODI debut, and Boyd Rankin was playing in his 150th match for Ireland across all formats.

Ireland started sprightly - openers Paul Stirling and Delany both striking powerful boundaries as they looked to blunt the early West Indian attack. Stirling was looking comfortable, however fell for 15 when he pulled a chest high ball from Alzarri Joseph (4-32) to short mid-wicket.

Captain Balbirnie came in next and looked in attacking mood from the off, striking two fours and a six in a short stint at the crease. Sensing that variation in his bowling attack was needed, West Indian skipper Kieron Pollard brought on spinner Roston Chase (1-35), who immediately removed Balbirnie for a quickfire 16.

Once Stirling and Balbirnie were gone, the Irish batters struggled to recover any sense of the ascendancy. Five of Ireland’s top six batters all made it into double figures, however no one took control and played an anchor role. For the home side, a combination of nippy pace bowling from 23-year old Joseph, and the spin bowling of Chase and Hayden Walsh (2-30) caused the visitors difficulty in building partnerships.

Lorcan Tucker (31) and Mark Adair (29) managed to put on a 54-run stand - and the tail-enders Barry McCarthy and Boyd Rankin added 30 for the last wicket - but Ireland’s total of 180 from 46.1 overs looked well below par for a ground that averages 247 runs in the first innings in ODIs.

Needing a good start with the ball to defend their low total, the Irish bowlers came up against the belligerent opener Evin Lewis. The 28-year old left-handed Trinidadian played all around the ground, punishing anything short or over-pitched. He brought up his half-century from 46 balls, and rarely looked flustered during his innings of 99* from 99 balls – falling agonisingly short of what would have been a well-deserved century.

The West Indian batters didn’t have it all their own way. At 98-1 in the 19th over the Irish spinners Simi Singh (2-44) and Andy McBrine (1-40) managed to snap up three quick wickets. However, what slim hopes the Irish side had of getting itself back into the game soon evaporated with Lewis and Roston Chase (19) taking the home side to the brink of a comprehensive victory. Boyd Rankin (1-26), possibly Ireland’s most threatening bowler, claimed Chase late on, but Lewis hit a boundary to take his side to victory.

After the match, Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie was asked where the game was lost. He said:

“I think it was obvious, with the bat. When you win the toss and bat first, and you’re all out for 180, you’re obviously below par. We are disappointed with our dismissals throughout, but we haven’t got long until the next game, so we’ve got to dust ourselves off, regroup and come out on Thursday all guns blazing.”

“They bowled well, but I think we still have a lot of areas to work on with the bat. There’s no reason why we can’t turn it around and look to put in a much better performance in the next game.”

“It [the captaincy experience] was brilliant – it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and to be able to do it with a great group of guys is amazing. But, at the same time, you want to win games of cricket - particularly as captain – so it’s just unfortunately disappointing tonight.”


The second match of the ODI series will be on Thursday 9 January 2020, starting at 5.30pm (GMT) at the same venue. For fans in Ireland and the UK, the second match will be televised on Sky Sports Cricket channel.


SUMMARY SCORECARD

Ireland v West Indies, 1st One-Day International, Barbados, 7 January 2020

Ireland 180 (46.1 overs; L Tucker 31, M Adair 29; A Joseph 4-32)
West Indies 184-5 (33.2 overs; E Lewis 99*; S Singh 2-44)

West Indies won by 5 wickets
 
WI are doing well in ODIs for one reason


Specialist are being pefered rather than too many railu kathas all rounders in the team
 
West Indies vs Ireland, 2nd ODI

Ireland won the toss and opt to bat

Teams:
West Indies (Playing XI): Shai Hope(w), Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Kieron Pollard(c), Khary Pierre, Hayden Walsh, Alzarri Joseph, Sheldon Cottrell

Ireland (Playing XI): Paul Stirling, Gareth Delany, Andrew Balbirnie(c), William Porterfield, Kevin O Brien, Lorcan Tucker(w), Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Boyd Rankin
 
IRE 131/4 (27.3) CRR: 4.76

Seemed to be going well then a slow down and wickets lost

Still 250 on the cards if they can get going a bit
 
Started following the game after lunch at around 100-2 ... since then, 4 times I have checked score and it has been 3 down, 4 down, 5 down, now 6 down .... FGS.

Looks like cricket has moved to a fast forward mood - no wonder, “pundits” are now lobbying for 4 day Test.
 
Ireland: 237/9

West Indies: 165/7 * (33.1/50 ov, target 238)

West Indies require another 73 runs with 3 wickets and 16.5 overs remaining

Ireland should win this.
 
Simi Singh has a pretty nice action looks to be inspired a bit from Saqlain Mushtaq.
 
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Ireland Men’s cricket team went from delight to despair in a matter of minutes as it lost to the West Indies by one wicket with one ball to spare in the second One-Day International in Barbados today.

One ball short of 100 overs of cricket produced a heart-breaking result for the Men in Green as they came within a matter of millimetres from recording what would have been only their second-ever victory over the mighty West Indies in ODI cricket.

The last over of a seesawing and tense match saw Ireland needing just one wicket to win, while West Indies needed five runs. The first two balls yielded just a single, but the third ball caused an almighty uproar of delight when Ireland thought they had a run out. After the potential dismissal was referred to the third umpire for adjudication, extensive video replays were inconclusive whether bowler Mark Adair’s hand or the ball had broken the wicket first. After what seemed an eternity for the third umpire to make a call, the decision was not out.

A near run out off the very next ball added to the drama, but the West Indies number 11 Sheldon Cottrell powered the second last ball over the boundary for six to claim victory for the home side by one wicket.

Earlier in the day, Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie won the toss and elected to bat first for the second successive game. Showing faith in his side, the skipper made no changes to the line up from the first match on Tuesday.

In-form opener Paul Stirling top scored with 63 from 79 balls, blending customary power hitting with more patient periods that demonstrated his determination to bat as deep in the innings as possible. His partner, Gareth Delany gave a glimpse of his clean-hitting style in his short innings of 14. While short, his innings did include one memorable flat bat pulled six in front of square off Sheldon Cottrell.

The Irish nemesis from the last match, 23-year old Alzarri Joseph once again became a handful for the Irish batters, first removing captain Balbirnie for 10 then taking three more scalps to finish with 4-32 – exactly the same return he had in the first match.

William Porterfield, playing in his milestone 300th game for Ireland, made a solid 29, while Kevin O’Brien will be disappointed he didn’t go on with his start, falling caught in the deep for 31 from 26 balls.

A late on effort of 34 from Simi Singh, and some big hitting from Barry McCarthy (17*) gave the Irish total a boost, with McCarthy hitting a six off the last ball of the innings for Ireland to finish on 237-9.

While a better batting effort than in game one, the Irish score was still considered below par and would require a significant bowling effort to restrain the rampant West Indian batting line-up.

Tight pressure bowling early by Andy McBrine (2-37) and McCarthy (2-28) resulted in the wicket of last match Windies batting hero Evin Lewis, followed quickly by two more dismissals to have the home side on 24-3 from 9 overs. The Irish fans in the crowd and at home dared to dream, but the Windies’ Shai Hope (25) and Nicholas Pooran (52) stabilised with a 52-run stand.

Simi Singh broke the partnership, before Pooran was joined by his captain Kieron Pollard (40). The pair put on a quickfire 64-run stand and looked to be taking the game away from the visitors. That was until a short rain delay broke the batters concentration, with the Irish bowlers regrouping and claiming three quick wickets.

From then on the match grew tense, with the home side inching its way towards the target, while Ireland claimed two valuable wickets.

In the end, it came down to the last over and the drama that ensued.

Only captaining the national side for the second time, Balbirnie impressed many observers with his tactical bowling switches and attacking field placings. His calmness during the final stages helped drive his side on, and – while he will be bitterly disappointed – the confidence he will gain from the experience in time will be an important learning opportunity.

Player of the match Alzarri Joseph said:

“We’re relieved about the win but it's a team game, we all put in the effort. The wicket was a bit more even than in the first game, and we wanted to bat sensibly to get to the score. When I went out to bat, there were a lot of balls to go there and I was looking to play ball every ball on merit. The win means a lot to everyone, but it's not finished, we have one game to go.”


The third match of the ODI series will be on Sunday 12 January 2020, starting at 1pm (GMT) at the National Cricket Stadium, St. George's, Grenada. For fans in Ireland and the UK, the third match will be televised on Sky Sports Cricket channel.


SUMMARY SCORECARD

Ireland v West Indies, 2nd One-Day International, Barbados, 9 January 2020

Ireland 237-9 (50 overs; P Stirling 63, S Singh 34; A Joseph 4-32)
West Indies 242-9 (49.5 overs; N Pooran 52, H Walsh 46*; S Singh 3-48, B McCarthy 2-28)

West Indies won by 1 wicket
 
BARBADOS – It may only be two matches into Andrew Balbirnie’s captaincy of the Ireland Men’s cricket team, but already his ability for calm, clear-thinking analysis is being displayed on and off the field. He spoke this morning from the team hotel in Bridgetown after last night’s heart-breaking defeat.

He said:

“The squad are hugely disappointed, we left pretty much everything out there. Unfortunately we didn't perhaps get the rub of the green at the end, but I can't fault the lads and the effort they put in. That was what I asked from them before the game, and between innings - to go out there and make it as hard as possible for the West Indies to chase the target and I think we did that.”

“I think when you get 237 on any pitch, particular a used pitch that had been turning, then you feel in the game. I thought if we bowled with control in that first 10, and the run rate required went up, then we put them under pressure and wickets would come as they are such flamboyant players then we would get chances in the field. And when we did, we took them, and that was really impressive from the guys, that they stuck to their tasks and did what was asked.”

With the drama on the field unfolding, it was clear that Balbirnie was a stabilising presence on his teammates:

“The trick is to keep as calm as possible, because you think clearer and the skills you want to execute are easier with a clearer head. That was just the message I tried to reiterate to the bowlers, whatever ball they wanted to go with I would back, but I wanted to make sure that it was 100% the ball they wanted to bowl.”

“Doing that with a clear head was always going to be more effective than getting carried away with what was going on. With the noise in the ground I thought we did that pretty well, and all the guys who bowled at the death, particularly Sparky [Mark Adair] in the last over - he knew what he wanted to do but unfortunately on this occasion it didn't quite come off.”

“It's a couple days before the next game and the guys are excited to get going again, particularly now we realise how close we came to beating such a good team like the West Indies. It's important that we recover well today - we have a short flight to Grenada, but if we can recover well, have a good training session tomorrow and get what we need done then I have no doubt we can turn around this result on Sunday."
 
The selection panel of Cricket West Indies (CWI) named the 14-man squad for the third and final One-Day Internationals of the Colonial Medical Insurance Series against Ireland. The matches will be played at Grenada National Stadium on Sunday, January 12. First ball is 9am (8am Jamaica Time).

West Indies lead the series 2-0 following their victories at Kensington Oval in Barbados. They won the first match by five wickets last Tuesday and the second by one wicket last Thursday – the 400th win in West Indies ODI history.

Full Squad

Kieron Pollard (captain)

Sunil Ambris

Roston Chase

Sheldon Cottrell

Shimron Hetmyer

Shai Hope

Alzarri Joseph

Brandon King

Evin Lewis

Keemo Paul

Khary Pierre

Nicholas Pooran

Romario Shepherd

Hayden Walsh jr.



Match Schedule

Tuesday, Jan 7: 1st Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Kensington Oval, Barbados

West Indies won by 5 wickets

Thursday, Jan 9: 2nd Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Kensington Oval

West Indies won by 1 wicket

Sunday, Jan 12: 3rd Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada

Wednesday, Jan 15: 1st Sandals Resorts T20I – Grenada National Stadium

Saturday, Jan 18: 2nd Sandals Resorts T20I – Warner Park, St Kitts

Sunday, Jan 19: 3rd Sandals Resorts T20I – Warner Park
 
West Indies (Playing XI): Shai Hope(w), Evin Lewis, Sunil Ambris, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard(c), Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh, Oshane Thomas, Alzarri Joseph

Ireland (Playing XI): Paul Stirling, James McCollum, Andrew Balbirnie(c), William Porterfield, Kevin O Brien, Lorcan Tucker(w), Simi Singh, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Craig Young, Barry McCarthy

West Indies have won the toss and have opted to field
 
IRE 60/3 (18.4) CRR: 3.21
Rain stops play
 
IRE 76/3 (22.4) CRR: 3.35
West Indies opt to bowl
 
IRE 158/7 (40.2) CRR: 3.92
West Indies opt to bowl

Looks like back to normal for Ireland?
 
IRE 188/9 (47.0) CRR: 4
West Indies opt to bowl
 
Easy for West Indies so far.

IRE 203 (49.1)
WI 53/1 (7.5) CRR: 6.77 REQ: 3.58
West Indies need 151 runs
 
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada – The selection panel of Cricket West Indies (CWI) today named the 13-man squad for the three-match Twenty20 International against Ireland. The matches will be played at Grenada National Stadium on Wednesday, January 15 and at Warner Park, St Kitts on Saturday, January 18 and Sunday, January 19.

There are recalls for all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Rovman Powell. Bravo, a two-time ICC World T20 World Cup winner, last played at the international level against Pakistan in the UAE in September, 2016. Powell last represented the West Indies against India in Guyana in August, 2019.

Bravo, 36, has played 270 matches for West Indies across all three formats. In T20Is he has made 66 appearances with an impressive record of 52 wickets and 1,142 runs. His highest score is 66 not out which came against India at Lord’s in 2009, the same match where he also took four wickets.

The 26-year-old Powell has played 34 ODIs and 23 T20Is since his debut in November 2016. In the shortest format he has two half-centuries with a topscore of 54 against India in Fort Lauderdale last August.

All-rounder Fabian Allen was considered for selection but is unavailable as he continues his rehabilitation following an injury on the tour of India last year. Jason Holder, the leading all-rounder in Test cricket, is being rested for the series due to workload management.

All-rounder Keemo Paul was originally set to participate in the upcoming T20I Series but has been ruled out due to a back injury he suffered in the Colonial Medical Insurance ODI Series. The 14th player will be named on Monday.

Commenting on the squad, Roger Harper, CWI’s Lead Selector said: “Dwayne Bravo was recalled with the specific intention of bolstering our ‘death’ bowling which was identified as an area that really needs improving. His record in this department speaks for itself. He will also be able to act as a mentor to the other ‘death’ bowlers and lend his experience wherever needed.”

Harper added: “Rovman Powell is a genuine all-rounder who we believe can add impetus and up the strike rate at the back-end of the innings. He was excellent in the Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 Cup – where he scored two excellent centuries and a 96 and also had some other good performances.”

FULL SQUAD
Kieron Pollard (captain)
Dwayne Bravo
Sheldon Cottrell
Shimron Hetmyer
Brandon King
Evin Lewis
Khary Pierre
Nicholas Pooran
Rovman Powell
Sherfane Rutherford
Lendl Simmons
Hayden Walsh jr.
Kesrick Williams

Match Schedule
Tuesday, Jan 7: 1st Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Kensington Oval, Barbados
West Indies won by 5 wickets
Thursday, Jan 9: 2nd Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Kensington Oval
West Indies won by 1 wicket
Sunday, Jan 12: 3rd Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada
Wednesday, Jan 15: 1st Sandals Resorts T20I – Grenada National Stadium
Saturday, Jan 18: 2nd Sandals Resorts T20I – Warner Park, St Kitts
Sunday, Jan 19: 3rd Sandals Resorts T20I – Warner Park
 
Wi are developing into a good white ball cricket team. Amazing to see Hetymer, Pooran and others perfering internationl cricket than league cricket. They can easily get league contracts

I really like king, think he has a bright future
 
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada – Ireland Men’s cricket team have fallen to a 5-wicket loss to the West Indies, after Player of the Series Evin Lewis hit a superb century in the third One-Day International in Grenada today.

Overnight showers freshened the pitch up and both sides were looking to bowl first if they won the toss. The toss went the way of the home side, and Ireland were duly asked to bat first.

Ireland had made two changes to their line-up, with James McCollum coming in for his first appearance on the tour for Gareth Delany, and Boyd Rankin rested with a niggle, with Craig Young coming in.

Almost from the outset the Windies bowlers grabbed the upper hand. Paul Stirling became frustrated with a slow start and was dismissed for 5, flashing at a ball short of a length, and James McCollum – after playing some eye-catching shots square of the wicket – fell for 20, offering a simple catch to cover.

Ireland needed a batter to settle the visitors down and captain Andrew Balbirnie became that man. His 71 from a patient 93 balls was Ireland’s highest individual score of the series, and he looked quite relaxed and confident throughout. He will be disappointed that he couldn’t turn his 9th ODI half-century into three-figures, but he did play the long game needing his teammates to build an innings around him.

Unfortunately that wasn’t to happen and regular wickets fell, with Ireland bowled out in the 50th over for 203. Andy McBrine’s late 25* from 22 balls put some respectability into the score, but the Irish total was around 50 runs below the par score at this ground.

In response, despite three breaks for rain, the home batters completed the run chase in style with 10.4 overs to spare. Player of the Match Evin Lewis led the charge with his third career ODI century – 102 from 97 balls. The left-handed middle order batter Nicholas Pooran again impressed with the bat and finished with 43*, while Brandon King hit a confident 38.

With the final rain delay, three overs were declared lost and a revised target of 197 was set, but the Windies batters achieved the target with more than 60 balls to spare.

For Ireland, Simi Singh was the most economical with 1-29 from 10 overs, while Andy McBrine claimed 2-50, and a wicket apiece went to Barry McCarthy and Craig Young.

Evin Lewis was also named Player of the Series for his 99* and 102 in the 1st and 3rd ODIs respectively.

After the match captain Andrew Balbirnie said:

“That has sort of been the trend of our series, we've managed to get in and build a platform but haven't been able to kick on at the back end of the innings. When you're playing a team as good as the West Indies and you don’t put up scores of 250+ or 300 then you're up against it. We were outclassed today but we can definitely take improvements out of three games.”

“I've been really impressed with the way our bowlers have gone about it, particularly Simi Singh who has had a brilliant series, bowling very economically with spin. We don't have the quickest bowlers in the world, and we don't have the biggest turners, but what we can do is that we can be accurate and we've got to work as hard as we can in the nets to be able to eb disciplined to hit an area and I think if we can do that we can be a lot more competitive as we go around the world.”

“The second game was a big positive, we still look back at that as a chance we missed. We had our chances to win that game, and when you're at this level that little bit of composure can be very useful, but unfortunately we just didn't have that. We've played competitive cricket and would have liked to come away with a win, but the West indies are an in-form team with some power in their side - we've a lot of cricket coming up in the year ahead, so if we can continue to make improvements each game then we'll be the better team for it.”

“It's a big year in T20 cricket for all international teams - we have that world cup at the end of the year to look forward to. So heading into the T20 series here we have three guys coming into the squad and they’ll bring a bit of freshness to it. We'll probably have a day off tomorrow then look to tackle it the next day going into the series.”

SUMMARY SCORECARD

Ireland v West Indies, 3rd One-Day International, Grenada, 12 January 2020

Ireland 203 (49.1 overs; A Balbirnie 71; H Walsh 4-36)

West Indies 199-5 (36.2 overs; E Lewis 102; A McBrine 2-50)

West Indies won by 5 wicket (DLS method)
 
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada – The selection panel of Cricket West Indies (CWI) today named Romario Shepherd as the 14th player in the squad for the three-match Twenty20 International Series against Ireland. The matches will be played at Grenada National Stadium on Wednesday, January 15 and at Warner Park, St Kitts on Saturday, January 18 and Sunday, January 19.

The tall strong-built fast bowling allrounder has earned his first call-up in this format. He has so far played five One-Day Internationals since making his international debut last year against Afghanistan in Lucknow, India.

FULL SQUAD

Kieron Pollard (captain)

Dwayne Bravo

Sheldon Cottrell

Shimron Hetmyer

Brandon King

Evin Lewis

Khary Pierre

Nicholas Pooran

Rovman Powell

Sherfane Rutherford

Romario Shepherd

Lendl Simmons

Hayden Walsh jr.

Kesrick Williams

Match Schedule

Tuesday, Jan 7: 1st Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Kensington Oval, Barbados

West Indies won by 5 wickets

Thursday, Jan 9: 2nd Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Kensington Oval

West Indies won by 1 wicket

Sunday, Jan 12: 3rd Colonial Medical Insurance ODI – Grenada National Stadium, Grenada

West Indies won by 5 wickets (DLS Method)

Wednesday, Jan 15: 1st Sandals Resorts T20I – Grenada National Stadium

Saturday, Jan 18: 2nd Sandals Resorts T20I – Warner Park, St Kitts

Sunday, Jan 19: 3rd Sandals Resorts T20I – Warner Park
 
Ireland won the toss and opt to bat


Ireland (Playing XI): Paul Stirling, Kevin O Brien, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Gary Wilson(w), Simi Singh, George Dockrell, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little, Craig Young


West Indies XI: L Simmons, E Lewis, S Hetmyer, N Pooran, K Pollard, S Rutherford, DJ Bravo, H Walsh, K Pierre, K Williams, S Cottrell
 
IRE 156/2 (13.2) CRR: 11.7
Ireland opt to bat

Looks like Ireland heading for 200...
 
Not sure why is WICB decided to hold a T20 match in the middle of the week and in the middle of the day as per St George time.
 
IRE 208/7 (20.0)

WI 92/1 (8.3) CRR: 10.82 REQ: 10.17

West Indies need 117 runs in 69 balls
 
Brilliant 4 run win for Ireland.

Great performance by the Irish.
 
WI has been struggling in T20 format recently which is quite surprising as it was supposedly their strongest format, lost series to Afg and now first T20 to Ireland.
 
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada – Ireland Men’s cricket team has beaten current T20 World Champions the West Indies in a record-breaking 4-run win at the National Cricket Stadium, Grenada today.

Captain Andrew Balbirnie won an important toss and elected to make first use of a wearing wicket. And ‘use’ it, they did. Opening pair Paul Stirling (95 from 47 balls) and Kevin O’Brien (48 from 32 balls) smashed the ball to all parts of the ground - and smashed some records along the way - as they set about demolishing a shellshocked West Indian attack.

The pair put on 93 runs in the first six overs – a record high team score during the first powerplay in T20I cricket – and went on to strike a 154-run partnership in 12.3 overs. This was a record T20I partnership for Ireland for any wicket, and put the visitors in a commanding position.

Momentum is an important aspect of T20 cricket, and the first wicket of O’Brien seemed to pull back the Irish trajectory. Four wickets fell in quick succession, with the Irish batters struggling to regain control and not lose the advantage from their record-breaking start. Amongst the wickets to go down was Stirling, falling a heart-breaking five runs short of his maiden T20I century. His innings included 8 sixes and 6 fours, as he demonstrated his full range of shots.

A late innings of 19 from Gareth Delany and 17 from Gary Wilson helped the Irish finish well, ending on 208-6 from their 20 overs – the third-highest team score for Ireland in this format of the game.

The West Indian batters needed a fast start, and they got away at pace. 33 came up from the first three overs, however an almost unbelievable diving outfield catch by George Dockrell brought the first wicket from Josh Little’s bowling.

The Windies batters continued to pile on the runs – as the run rate required dictated they must – but crucial wickets of Evin Lewis (53) and Shimron Hetmyer (28) changed the momentum of the game again.

The West Indian captain Kieron Pollard hit a breezy 31 from 15 balls, threatening to take the game away from Ireland, but the Irish fielders continued to hold their catches – and their nerves – taking the game into the last over.

Needing 15 from the last over, a seesawing six-balls saw two wickets fall and a six hit, but with five needed from the last ball, Josh Little (3-29) delivered a good length ball and Ireland registered only their second-ever victory over the West Indies in white ball cricket.

After the match the Player of the Match Paul Stirling said:

“It was a really good pitch and I think we put a par score on which showed in the end, we felt we were in the game the whole way through. It was touch and go, but we’re enjoying the tight games – we came out the right side this time, so it’s a nice feeling.”

“I think there’s a huge different in mindset between T20 and ODI opening, here you have the chance to express yourself and really have fun, playing cricket as you did as a youngster and how you really want to play. Whereas in 50-over cricket you have to try and bat a little bit longer, but it was just really fun today.”

“With the ball, I think we had to aim to take wickets really, it can be quite a daunting task when the big lads come in and you know how hard and far they hit it, so if we try get that wicket we can really squeeze them. The more wickets you get, the closer you get.”

After the match, Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie said:

“Everyone is ecstatic, we came so close in that second ODI and it maybe affected us in that third ODI, so to show the bottle and come out against one of the top teams in T20 cricket and get a win was great for the vibe of the team.”

“I think we lost Kevin and Paul quite quickly together having batted so brilliantly for us – they are our two key men and they showed it today. Maybe we could be a bit better when we do lose set batsmen – we need to learn to rotate a bit better. But when you get 200+ in any T20 you feel in the game. They got off to a pretty good start, but we kept our composure and that’s all I asked from the guys, just to be clear with what they wanted to do and they did that.”

“George’s last over was brilliant – to come back after a couple of the batters got after him was great. That’s what T20 cricket is about, if you bowl one over like that you can change the game.”

“It was just about as well as I’ve ever seen Paul bat in T20 cricket – he’s a world-class player and he’s played all around the world, he’s such as important player for us in all forms of cricket and he leads from the front, which he did today.”

“It’s great to get a win obviously but you want to win a series and make history, so if we can do that in the next two games we can go home very happy.”

SUMMARY SCORECARD

Ireland v West Indies, 1st T20 International, Grenada, 15 January 2020

Ireland 208-6 (20 overs; P Stirling 95, K O’Brien 48; D Bravo 2-28)

West Indies 204-6 (20 overs; E Lewis 53; J Little 3-29)

Ireland won by 4 runs
 
Joshua Little is a really talented bowler. There is another guy David Delaney who is really quick.
 
What an amazing win with a young team in our worst format. Adair and Rankin both rested too.

This series has been a great start to the decade. Competed in every single game.
 
Great win for Ireland.

West Indies bowling is atrocious- if they want to compete they fill need to find some economical bowlers as their batting cannot chase gigantic totals all the time.
 
Pierre and Williams are poor bowlers

Bring in Kemo Paul and Alzarri Joseph
 
After a high-scoring thriller in the previous game, which they won by four runs, Ireland will harbour hopes of securing a rare T20I series victory when they take on West Indies in the second match in St Kitts.

Overview

West Indies v Ireland
2nd T20I
Warner Park, Basseterre
Saturday, 18 January; 6pm local, 10pm GMT

Ireland last won a bilateral T20I series way back in 2016 against Papua New Guinea. Since then they have won only 18 of their 44 completed matches.

Their record has been less than flattering but they have a chance to make a statement by defeating world champions West Indies in one of their next two matches to claim the series.

In order to do that, the visitors will want their batsmen to fire in a manner similar to what they did in the first game. They will also hope for a better performance from the spinners, who hemorrhaged runs in the first game, allowing West Indies to get within touching distance of a mammoth target.

West Indies will know that a few minor tweaks in the bowling department will go a long way to help resume their winning ways against Ireland this series. Kesrick Williams, who had a rare off-day conceding 48 runs from three overs in Grenada, will look to set things right.

Remember the last time

Paul Stirling and Kevin O'Brien, the experienced opening pair, were at their belligerent best, putting on a stunning 154-run stand to set the tone. They struck 10 sixes between them as well as 10 fours. While O'Brien got out two short of a fifty, Stirling scored almost twice as many, falling five short of a century. West Indies were able to pull things back a touch after dismissing them to keep the total down to 208-7.

Evin Lewis was the star of West Indies' chase, scoring a 29-ball 53. But the hosts kept losing wickets, which dented their chances. Joshua Little and Craig Young took five wickets between them.

What they said

Kevin O'Brien (Ireland): To go ahead 1-0 in an away series against one of the best teams in the world is special. We can create history in the next two games by winning an away series.

Conditions

Weather is expected to be clear and pleasant for the second T20I in Basseterre. The pitch tends to have something in it for the seamers. In their two matches here against England in 2019, West Indies were bowled out for 45 and 71.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1574549
 
49 . 2 after 7 overs.

Match is in balance so far , Ireland needs to get in the grove here fast , and tonk few big overs.
 
Delany is playing well here , with a very high strike rate. If he stays till 15 over , he can do serious damage
 
As suspected, just a passing shower. The rain has stopped and the covers are coming off.
 
Gareth Delany and Kieron Pollard shined with the bat and ball respectively, but it was the rain that had the final say in the second T20 International played between West Indies and Ireland on Saturday, 18 January.

The game was called off after rain intervened for the third time in the day, with West Indies' placed at 16/1 in the third over of their revised chase of 152 in 19 overs. Lendl Simmons showed some intent early on, dismissing Paul Stirling for a six and a four in the first over, before the bowler had the last laugh as the right-hander mistimed a slog to Harry Tector at deep mid-wicket. Opener Evin Lewis (2*) and Shimron Hetmyer (4*) remained unbeaten.

Earlier West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard won the toss and put Ireland in to bat. Sheldon Cottrell conceded just a single in the first over before Romario Shepherd, the debutant had Kevin O' Brien caught off a leading edge at mid-off to earn his maiden T20I scalp. It started to drizzle soon after and play resumed after an hour long break. Cottrell then had Stirling caught by Hetmyer at the deep square leg fence for 17 to round off a fine opening spell.

The highlight of the day though came through the blade of Gareth Delany, who whacked four consecutive sixes off Hayden Walsh, the leg-spinner, during the tenth over of the innings. Walsh overpitched twice, Delany lofted it over his head; the bowler went short, and the right-hander flat-batted him to the same part of the ground, before finishing it off with a full-blooded pull over mid-wicket to put his team at a strong position of 87/2 at the halfway stage.

However, Pollard, replacing Walsh an over later, produced a fine spell to put breaks on the scoring. He first had Delany caught at long-off to cut short his entertaining 22-ball-stay on 44, before accounting for the well-set Andy Balbirnie (36) in his next over. He then dismissed Gary Wilson (5) and George Dockrell (2) in quick succession as Ireland slumped to 133/6. Another rain interruption, though a shorter one, had the game reduced to a 19-over affair and Sheldon Cottrell's miserly final six balls yielded just three singles followed by a caught behind and two run-outs.

Pollard was the most successful of the pack, returning with 4/25, while Cottrell finished with an impressive 2/10 in his four overs. Ireland, on virtue of their thrilling win in the high-scoring series opener have maintained their 1-0 lead, with the decider to be played on Sunday, 19 January at the same venue.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1577942
 
Explosive batting by Ireland here , O' Brien has struck 5 consecutive boundaries

Ireland have reached 50 off only 25 balls.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Pakistan tour of West Indies (2025) - Broadcast Thread
Replies
10
Views
2K
Vikram1989
V
Cricket Warrior
West Indies tour of Ireland and England (2025)
Replies
79
Views
2K
Ball Blazer
Ball Blazer
BouncerGuy
Australia tour of West Indies (2025)
12 13 14
Replies
1K
Views
24K
Nikhil_cric
N
BouncerGuy
Mohammad Rizwan to lead in ODIs as Pakistan announced squads for T20I and ODI series against West Indies
Replies
47
Views
3K
cricketAXEpert
C
BouncerGuy
West Indies tour of UAE 2025 (T20I series against Nepal)
2
Replies
92
Views
1K
sweep_shot
sweep_shot
Back
Top