T20 World Cup 2022, WI vs IRE: Incredible Ireland knock West Indies out of the tournament

Gareth Delany recorded a sensational three-for [Source: Twitter]

Riding on Gareth Delany's match-winning spell and Paul Stirling's glorious half century, Ireland handed West Indies a crushing nine-wicket defeat in the eleventh group-stage match of the T20 World Cup in Hobart. The Irishmen shattered West Indies' Super 12 qualification dreams with this astounding victory. 

Delany derails the Windies batting unit

Opting to bat, West Indies had a poor start, as Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles were removed inside five overs. Although Brandon King and Evin Lewis added 44 runs for the third wicket, they consumed 39 balls for it. Lewis was the main culprit, crawling his way through to an 18-ball 13 before being eventually dismissed by Gareth Delany in the eleventh over. 

Delany struck two more times, getting rid of Nicholas Pooran and the dangerous Rovman Powell in quick succession. However, the fighting 34-run stand between King and Odean Smith was vital in taking West Indies to a respectable 146. 

King hammered six fours and a solitary six for his 48-ball 62*, while Smith launched a couple of maxima for his valuable 19-run cameo. 

Delany starred with the ball for Ireland, recording fantastic bowling figures of four for 16. Barry McCarthy and Simi Singh shared the remaining two wickets equally. 

Ireland chase the total without breaking a sweat

Paul Stirling slammed a fabulous fifty [Source: Twitter]

A target of 147 was never going to bother the robust Irish batting unit. They began the chase emphatically, with Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie racing to 73 in 7.3 overs for the opening wicket. 

After captain Balbirnie fell prey to Akeal Hosein, Stirling and Lorcan Tucker sailed the Irish ship smoothly, adding 77 runs for the second wicket. The duo made the West Indies bowling unit look toothless and eventually got Ireland over the line with 15 balls to spare. 

Stirling reserved his absolute best for this do-or-die encounter. The veteran batter proved why he is spoken of highly by cricket pundits across the globe, smashing a memorable 48-ball 66*. Tucker also exhibited his hard-hitting prowess, contributing handy 45 runs. 

West Indies could blame only themselves for their early World Cup exit. They were well and truly underwhelming in all three departments, which led to their debacle in the mega event. Ireland, on the contrary, were disciplined with the ball and calculative with the bat. Therefore, they must celebrate this win, as it will let them erase the scars of the previous World Cup from their memories.

Brief Scores

West Indies: 146/5 (20)
Brandon King 62* (48), Johnson Charles 24 (18);
Gareth Delany 3/16 (4), Simi Singh 1/11 (2)

Ireland: 150/1 (17.3)
Paul Stirling 66* (48), Lorcan Tucker 45* (35);
Akeal Hosein 1/38 (4)

Ireland won by nine wickets. 

Also Read: Can England cope with their hammer blow ahead of T20 World Cup 2022?