IRELAND HAVE CLINCHED a famous six-wicket win over the Twenty20 champs West Indies in Jamaica tonight.
Having restricted their hosts to 116-8, Ireland recovered from the loss of two early wickets to record the type of giant-killing act that they have become synonymous with.
Ed Joyce provided the backbone of the innings from number three with a composed 40 not out and Kevin O’Brien, a veteran of the the shock ICC World Cup wins over Pakistan and England in 2007 and 2011 respectively, joined him to strike the winning runs.
Dwayne Smith (14) and Chris Gayle (18) got the hosts off to a steady start, putting together a partnership of 31 before the former was caught by Max Sorensen during the fifth over and that began an unwelcome trend among the home team of batsmen getting starts but failing to kick on.
Marlon Samuels and Lendl Simmons both hit 16 as West Indies kept the scoreboard ticking over, but the reigning World Twenty20 champions were struggling to shift out of first gear. And rather than find the spark that might have inspired a respectable total, the home side’s performance tailed off, with Andre Russell the only man to hit double figures for the remainder of the innings.
Tim Murtagh, Alex Cusack and O’Brien took two wickets apiece as West Indies stumbled their way to a less-than-competitive total. The hosts came out fighting for the Irish innings though, and the tourists found themselves 8-2 within eight balls, Samuel Badree trapping captain Will Porterfield lbw for four and Ravi Rampaul dismissing danger man Paul Stirling for a duck.
Badree then bowled Gary Wilson (18) to make the score 37-3, but Joyce found a willing ally in Andrew Poynter – the scorer of a stylish 32 before he was bowled by Sunil Narine, leaving the experienced Sussex batsman Joyce to complete the job alongside O’Brien with five balls to spare.
