West Indies knocked out of 2022 T20 World Cup by Ireland

When Lorcan Tucker charged down the pitch to launch Obed McCoy over the covers for four, it sealed victory with 15 balls to come. It amounted to emphatic vindication for Ireland’s conscious efforts to play a more dynamic version of T20 last summer, refusing to veer from their philosophy after seven consecutive defeats against India, New Zealand and South Africa. A year after being knocked out of the first stage of the World Cup with a defeat to Namibia that was among the most painful in Ireland’s history, Balbirnie can now look forward to a date with England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of emotion because we’ve had a long 12 months of trying to figure out how we want to try and play this game,” Balbirnie said. “It’s worked sometimes, it hasn’t worked others. But to pull out two performances like we have against Scotland and against West Indies, as a senior player and a captain I’ve proud of how everyone’s got around it.” T20 victories seldom come more comprehensive. Ireland not only played out fewer dot balls than West Indies – 37 to 47 – and scored more twos. They also outhit West Indies, hitting seven sixes to West Indies’s five. It completed a stunning turnaround for Ireland in the first stage. After being well-beaten in the clash with Zimbabwe, Ireland faced elimination when they slipped to 61 for four in pursuit of 177 against Scotland. But Curtis Campher and George Dockrell hauled Ireland out of the debris with a magnificent stand of 119. The two were not even needed against West Indies. “We were outplayed in all departments today,” West Indies coach Phil Simmons said after defeat to his old side. He lamented a familiar failing: West Indies’s batsmen, who mustered a total around 20 runs shy of par. “We haven't been playing good enough cricket to be there really. We have the batsmen, the capabilities – we just haven't been putting it together. Our bowlers are showing up nine out of 10 times but the batters haven't really showed up.” Like all of Ireland’s most famous World Cup moments – the victory over Pakistan at Sabina Park in 2007, which announced their arrival on the world stage, and the wins over England in Bangalore in 2011 and West Indies in Nelson in 2015 – this came while chasing. And so, despite the pronounced recent advantage for teams batting first at the Bellerive Oval (teams setting targets had won 17 of the last 20 games) Balbirnie might have been content to lose the toss, hoping that the fans could then Ireland to their target. “The crowd today were pretty amazing. Lots of our parents and wives and girlfriends just roaring their heads off,” he said. “It was a pretty special day to be an Irish cricketer and hopefully we can have many more of them over the next couple of weeks.” Meanwhile Scotland fell to a five-wicket defeat to Zimbabwe, ending their hopes of reaching the Super 12 for the second consecutive year. Scotland's total of 132-6 always felt around 25 runs short of par. While Brad Wheal and Josh Davey both struck early on to reduce Zimbabwe to 7-2, Sikandar Raza continued his brilliant tournament, hitting a rapid 40 to follow his frugal four overs of off spin. Skipper Craig Ervine anchored the run chase with 58, with Scotland suffering from the looseness of their off spinners, Michael Leask and Calum MacLeod. It means that Scotland are eliminated despite their defeat of West Indies - who finished bottom of Group B - on Monday.

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