Ireland triumphs over the USA in a close encounter

After a one-sided affair yesterday, the 2nd T20I between the USA and Ireland witnessed a close finish.

With the series on the line, it needed something special from Ireland to level it. Opting to bowl first, the USA looked to exploit the swing on offer with the new ball. They got a perfect start as they rattled Ireland's openers in the first two overs. 

However, Lorcan Tucker carried on his golden form from the last game. Coming to the pitch when the score read 20/2, Tucker took the control of the proceedings along with Curtis Campher. The duo did not let the fall of wickets affect the run-rate and pounced on every opportunity. Yasir Mohammad brought an end to the 39-run partnership as he dismissed Campher.

Wickets kept tumbling on the other end. But Tucker marched on his merry ways. With a strike rate of 150, he smashed 84 runs and was the last batsman to be dismissed. His vital knock took Ireland to a respectable total of 150 runs. The bowlers of USA put on balanced effort, with Saurabh Netravalkar emerging as the star again as he picked three crucial scalps.

As USA's openers stepped onto the field, they had a chance to create history. The pressure was clearly visible as none of their top-order batsmen looked settled during their stay at the crease. Their top 3 took 61 deliveries to score 53 runs. The required rate was climbing up with every over and the onus was again on the middle order to pull off a miracle.

Gajanand Singh joined hands with Sushant Modani. They were involved in a match-winning partnership in the last game and the USA expected them to replicate the same heroics. Gajanand scored 22 off 20 deliveries, while Sushant's brief innings of 27 runs also was not enough to push them over the finishing line. Curtis Campher was the pick of the bowlers as he gathered four wickets in his quota of overs. The USA fell short of Ireland's score by nine runs as the series ended with a scoreline of 1-1. 

The action will now shift towards the ODI series, scheduled to start from 26th December.