The 2022 T20 World Cup Qualifiers have been super electrifying so far in Australia, with Namibia and Scotland causing upsets on the first couple of days itself. And as the competition tightened up for places into the Super 12s stage, we saw some more well-fought games and nail biting finishes. One of them was witnessed in the West Indies vs Ireland game today at Hobart.
The favourites batted first and they put up a score way below par as they registered 146/5, at least 15 runs below what they should’ve been targetting. And the Irish team is known to be able to take down giants in ICC tournaments, so the openers (Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie) decided to make a game out of this, registering their highest powerplay score of the competition this year, while not losing a wicket either.
Twitter reactions to Ireland beating West Indies
Stirling was playing his seventh T20 World Cup for Ireland and he brought all that experience into play today at the Bellerive Oval, continuing his merry way even after the captain Balbirnie was dismissed in the thirties. And the Windies shoulders started drooping because the Irish brought the required run rate below 6 within the first ten overs itself.
– While bowling, #Ireland bowled towards the LONGER Boundary
– While batting, Ireland are hitting towards the SHORTER Boundary
🚨 One team has done their homework. One team hasn't. And it is quite evident.🚨#WIvsIre #T20WorldCup
— Broken Cricket Dreams Cricket Blog (@cricket_broken) October 21, 2022
Meanwhile #Hetmyer at airport
pic.twitter.com/3KRMBW8TnM— Mr. 360' (@_Mr__360_) October 21, 2022
Fun and jokes aside, WHO selected Odean Smith? @windiescricket
— Koliya Dercruz (@KoliyaDercruz) October 21, 2022
It was all but over early in the innings itself as the men in green continued their carnage all through the innings. Nothing came as a saving grace for West Indies, as they exited the tournament much earlier than they would’ve expected, also losing their first game against Scotland. The 2-time champions were knocked out before reaching the Super 12s stage too.
SEE ALSO: List of top online sports betting websites
Stirlo had a quiet tournament up until this point but the best players stand up when most needed by their teams and countries. Here, he brought up his 21st T20I fifty and once again showed why he’s such an important part of this Scottish side. A lot of questions were raised about Odean Smith’s selection in the side and his choice of being bowled in the powerplay even before Jason Holder.
5️⃣0️⃣ for Paul Stirling – a special innings from a special batter.#IREvWI #BackingGreen #T20WorldCup ☘️🏏 pic.twitter.com/6pc4Za0dIP
— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) October 21, 2022
Paul Stirling man what a form he has been in last 2 years or so.
Expecting an IPL contract for him for the 2023 IPL.#WIvsIRE #T20WorldCup— Palak Goel (@Palakgoel111) October 21, 2022
Sir Viv Richards, Sir Gary Sobers, Sir Clive Lloyd watching West Indies cricket since their retirement#WIvsIRE #ICCT20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/Kgm1smPKaS
— Bharat Cricket 🏏 (@BhartArmy) October 21, 2022
The West Indies downfall is something we’ve been seeing for quite a few years now but they’ve excelled in the shortest format, being the only team to win the T20 World Cup on two different occasions. But clearly, they’ve losing their superiority in this format as well, which is really heartbreaking not just for Windies fans but for cricket lovers in general.
Nicholas Pooran in last 8 T20I innings:
13(11) vs IRE
7(9) vs ZIM
5(9) vs SCO
2(3) vs AUS
2(5) vs AUS
1(4) vs NZ
15(8) vs NZ
3(6) vs INDHe averages 6 and strikes at 87 in this time period. pic.twitter.com/TnNIF4ORTd
— 12th Khiladi (@12th_khiladi) October 21, 2022
Ireland qualified for the Super 12 of the T20 World Cup 2022, A great moment in Irish cricket.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 21, 2022
More questions were raised on Nicholas Pooran’s captaincy skills, not attacking when required the most and not making the right bowling changes either. With the bat, he didn’t lead from the front either with a series of low scores. He was backed as captain after taking over from Kieron Pollard after the 2021 T20 World Cup and sadly, he wasn’t able to make a difference till date.
NBDC Pro Nicholas Pooran- 4(9) against mighty Scotland and then- 7(9) against mighty Zimbabwe…talk about consistency 🔥🙈 #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/l2rPQcsj1L
— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) October 19, 2022
Eventually, Ireland completed an easy 9-wicket victory today with 15 balls to spare, with Gareth Delany winning the MOM award for his 3-wicket spell with the ball in the first innings. There’s so much more to be played for at the 2022 T20 World Cup and for all updates on the rest of the tournament, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
Register on 1xBet and get 100% first deposit bonus
