“West Indies now have lots of time to play in IPL”- Twitterati goes frenzied as Paul Stirling’s heroics dump 2X champions West Indies
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Paul Stirling
First, Irish bowler Gareth Delany outclassed West Indies’ innings with his three-wicket haul. But Brandon King’s knock stabilized West Indies’ innings, and they could put on a decent 146/5 at the Blundstone Arena in Hobart.
The score wasn’t enough for Nicholas Pooran’s team to defend when, in the opposition, Irish stalwart batter Paul Stirling batted with an iron will. Although, he wasn’t the only one to ensure their road to the Super 12.
Irish openers Stirling and skipper Andrew Balbirnie gave a fiery start to their innings. Balbirnie’s quick knock from 23 balls added 37 runs (with three fours and as many sixes) at an impressive strike rate of 160.87. After Akeal Hosein dismissed him, it was Lorcan Tucker and Stirling show down the line.
Stirling completed his half-century in 32 balls and went on to play an unbeaten 66 runs off 48 balls (with six fours and two maximums). His partner at the non-striker’s end, Tucker, added 45 runs off 35 balls (with two fours and two sixes), taking Men in Green to a nine-wicket victory and the dream Super 12 stage.
West Indies first lost their opening match to Scotland by 42 runs, then went on to defeat Zimbabwe by 31 runs. A win against Ireland would have kept their World Cup hopes alive, but Delany and Irish batters couldn’t let this happen. Delany, meanwhile, scalped three wickets and conceded 16 runs in his full quota of four overs at a brilliant economy of 4.
To conclude, it was a gloomy day for the Caribbeans. T20 is undoubtedly an unpredictable format; a newcomer has the strength to dump the two-time T20 World Cup champions. And that’s how today’s story ended.
Check how Twitterverse reacted to Paul Stirling’s innings
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Gouri Das
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