Australia delivered a masterful bowling display to secure a commanding 67-run triumph against Ireland in their T20 World Cup Group B encounter in Colombo on Wednesday. The Aussies managed to rack up 182/6 across their full 20 overs after temporary captain Travis Head chose to take first strike, with Marcus Stoinis (45 from 29 deliveries) and Josh Inglis (37 from 17 balls) leading the charge with the bat. Ireland’s run chase hit trouble right from the get-go when skipper Paul Stirling was forced to retire hurt during the opening over. Nathan Ellis wreaked havoc in the early stages while Adam Zampa worked his magic through the middle period. The Australian bowling duo each claimed four scalps as Ireland could only muster 115 runs in 16.5 overs.
TOSS-
Australia secured the toss and decided to take first knock.
PLAYING XI-
Ireland (Playing XI):
Paul Stirling(c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w), Curtis Campher, Benjamin Calitz, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys
Australia (Playing XI):
Travis Head(c), Josh Inglis(w), Cameron Green, Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Ellis, Xavier Bartlett, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa
AUSTRALIA-
Travis Head’s innings came to an abrupt end when he was run-out for a modest six, but Josh Inglis and Cameron Green quickly got into their groove, finding the boundary rope in each PowerPlay over. Inglis got particularly frisky, smashing three straight boundaries off Matthew Humphreys’ bowling. Green’s stay ended dramatically on the final delivery of the fifth over when he mistimed one straight to mid-wicket, while Dockrell struck to remove Inglis in the following over as Stirling pouched a spectacular leaping catch. Glenn Maxwell departed after being caught behind off part-timer Tector’s bowling, leaving Australia sitting at 90 for 4 after 10 overs. Following that burst of wickets, Ireland tightened the screws beautifully, allowing just 19 runs during overs 13 through 15.
With boundaries surely difficult to find, Australia ran hard for two runs in the final overs. Moreover, they pushed themselves to maximize scoring opportunities during the death phase of the innings. As per the match details, they completed 11 twos with Marcus Stoinis scoring 45 runs and Renshaw making 37 runs, ensuring both batsmen kept rotating the strike properly. Further, as per the match situation, the 61-run partnership from 44 balls was the main reason regarding Australia’s big hitting in the final two overs. We are seeing Xavier Bartlett and Cooper Connolly making quick 11-run scores each, helping Australia reach a good total that was only more than enough on the slow pitch.
IRELAND-
Ireland’s captain Paul Stirling actually walked off after just one ball with what looked like a hamstring injury and definitely didn’t return to bat later. Also, we are seeing that Ross Adair hit a four and six in the first over only, so the Irish team started well. Ross definitely got lucky when Matt Renshaw actually dropped an easy catch at point off Matthew Kuhnemann’s bowling. Harry Tector surely got out to the left-arm spinner without scoring any runs. Moreover, he was dismissed for a duck in this innings.
Basically Ellis got Ross out on his very first ball with a slower delivery that fooled him completely, and the same ball hit his middle-stump. The pacer took another wicket two balls later by dismissing Curtis Campher, and this further worsened Ireland’s position itself. The situation surely became more difficult when Ellis managed to get Benjamin Calitz out through a chop-on dismissal, and moreover, Ireland’s score had fallen to a poor 27 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Gareth Delany surely lost his wicket to Zampa in the seventh over, but George Dockrell scored 41 runs and Lorcan Tucker made 24 runs. Moreover, their 46-run partnership gave Ireland some hope in the match.
Tucker actually got out to Zampa when he tried to hit the ball over mid-wicket boundary. The leg-spinner definitely took Dockrell and Mark Adair’s wickets in his last over. Ellis surely completed the match by bowling a slower delivery to get Barry McCarthy out. Moreover, this dismissal brought the game to its final conclusion.
Brief Scores:
As per the match results, Australia scored 182/6 in 20 overs with Marcus Stoinis making 45 runs and Josh Inglis scoring 37 runs, while Mark Adair took 2 wickets for 44 runs and Harry Tector got 1 wicket for 24 runs. Regarding Ireland’s batting, they were all out for 115 runs in 16.5 overs with George Dockrell scoring 41 runs and Lorcan Tucker making 24 runs, as Nathan
About the Author
