West Indies, the two times T20 World Cup Champion, have been knocked out by Ireland. The Caribbean has ended their World Cup campaign from the group stage as they lost a must-win game against Ireland. Today, the Irish have defeated West Indies by nine wickets and secured a place in the Super 12.
Toss: West Indies won the toss and opted to bat first.
Teams suffered from poor starts
Winning the toss, West Indies started their batting innings with Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles. Unfortunately, both players failed to get a good start. Despite being defensive, they couldn’t make a long partnership. Kyle Mayers lost his wicket in the 3rd over, scoring only one run. The other opener also failed to contribute much. He departed the crease after adding 13 runs only.
Brandon King fought alone
After losing two early wickets, Brandon King handled the initial disaster with Evin Lewis. They were taking time to settle down on the crease. Eventually, Brandon King started hitting boundaries. He made a very effective partnership with Evin Lewis. Together they added 38 runs on the scoreboard.
However, their partnership broke in the 11th over as Evin Lewis lost his wicket to Gareth Delany. Before leaving the crease, Lewis scored 13 runs for the team. The following batters came and went, but no one could contribute much to the team.
Besides, Brandon King fought alone to achieve a good result. With one six and six fours, Brandon King scored the highest 62 runs from 48 balls. Relying on his bat, West Indies ended their innings with 146 runs. However, Irish bowler Gareth Delany picked up three wickets to destroy the Caribbean batting lineup.
Ireland got a flying start
Chasing the target, the two openers of Ireland gave the team a flying start. Skipper Andrew Balbirnie made a fantastic partnership with Paul Stirling. They both were very aggressive from the beginning of the innings. Both openers added 73 runs together on the scoreboard.
Although skipper Andrew Balbirnie lost his wicket after adding 37 runs, Paul Stirling kept picking runs. He made another brilliant partnership of 77 runs with Lorcan Tucker, that earned a massive victory for Ireland. However, both batters remained not out in this match. Paul Stirling scored 66 runs, while Lorcan Tucker added 45 runs to win the match.