Ireland stun world champions India at Stormont
The Ireland men's cricket team have beaten T20 world champions India by 34 runs at a sweltering Stormont - their first win over them in their 20th meeting across all formats, including nine T20 internationals.Having posted a fine 182 for nine having been asked to bat, including a half-century for captain Lorcan Tucker, Ireland's bowlers ripped through the much-vaunted Indian line-up, bowling out the visitors for 148 in the final over.That was enough to claim a quite sensational win in Belfast, a result that will shock the cricketing world and put Ireland 1-0 up in the two-match series.Ireland gave T20 international debuts to bowler Jai Moondra - the 29-year-old facing the country of his birth - and Matt Hollard, who made his test debut against New Zealand also in Stormont last month.India’s 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was not included in the Indian line-up but could play on Sunday.India won the toss and decided to bowl first, going with pace up front as Ireland openers Tim Tector and Ross Adair put on 20 for the first wicket with Adair hitting a huge six off the first over from Arshdeep Singh before falling in the second over from Harshit Rana, his steepling shot caught by wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.Adair’s departure brought in Harry Tector to join his brother at the crease, but he only lasted two deliveries before he was caught behind for a duck off the bowling of Singh with Ireland on 25 for two.New Irish captain Lorcan Tucker was in next but Tim Tector, who had made a brisk 17 off 12 deliveries, was Rana’s next victim, caught at mid-on with Ireland reduced to 30 for three in the fourth over.Ben Calitz and Tucker added 21 before the former perished on 15, hooking and skying Shivam Dube’s first delivery down to fine leg; Ireland now at 51 for four in the eighth over.Gareth Delany was dropped on nine in the 11th over, and Tucker, who produced two outrageous scoop shots for boundaries, took a liking to Indian leg-arm spinner Axar Patel in particular and accelerated in the middle overs. Having started slowly, Tucker reached 50 on his 35th ball faced.Sadly for the new Irish T20 captain, he failed to add to his score, caught at midwicket as Rana took his third wicket with Ireland 115 for five in the 15th over.Still, Tucker became the only player with half-centuries in each of his first three T20is as Irish captain having been the stand-in skipper against both Pakistan and Oman.Delany and George Dockrell (19) cracked the Indian attack all around the ground to add 49 for the sixth wicket, Delany particularly brutal on Prasdidh Krishna, hitting three sixes in a row from his final over.Delany would have been desperately disappointed to depart on 49 in the penultimate over.Liam McCarthy (7), Matt Humphries (2), and Moondra (2, not out) took Ireland to 182 for nine at the end of their innings.In reply, there was immediate joy for Moondra who took the wicket of opener Sanju Samson for five with his very first ball on his international debut.Hollard had Ishan Kishan caught behind for one with only his second ball on T20 debut, with India on 45 for two in the fourth over, and also accounted for Indian skipper Shreyas Iyar (3) with the visitors in a spot of bother on 60 for three in the final over of the powerplay.Opener Abishek Sharma scored 49 off only 19 balls but India found themselves in more trouble when he fell in the eighth over as McCarthy took his first T20 wicket with the world champions reduced to 80 for four at the end of eight overs.Tilak Varma (19), Washington Sundar (9), Dube (25), Patel (15), Rana (2), Singh (2) all perished as Ireland’s bowlers were on top throughout with Hollard taking three for 28 and winning the player of the match award.Moondra returned figures of two for 29, including a brilliant caught and bowled to get rid of the dangerous Dube while Humphries took three Indian wickets, including the final one to fall, amid scenes of absolute joy in the Irish camp on a famous day for the men’s T20 side.
Most Popular
