DUBLIN: New Zealand survived a record-breaking Ireland charge led by centuries from Paul Stirling and Harry Tector for a dramatic one-run victory in the third One-day International here at The Village, Malahide on Friday.
The Black Caps looked on course for a convincing win after Martin Guptill’s century laid the foundations for a total of 360 for six from 50 overs.
Stirling and Tector made the tourists sweat with some superb stroke-play in a tense finish.
Ireland’s lower order managed to bring the chase down to 10 off the last over. They scored five off Blair Tickner’s first three balls, then Craig Young was run out trying for a second run.
Graham Hume needed three off the last ball, but his huge swing missed.
Ireland got only a leg bye and, despite their highest ever ODI score of 359 for nine, suffered their third narrow loss of the series.
New Zealand won the first match by one wicket with one ball to spare and the second by three wickets to set up the sweep.
Guptill hit a faultless 115, his 18th ODI century for New Zealand, and Henry Nicholls smashed three sixes in his 54-ball 79.
When Ireland batted, Stirling reached three figures with a boundary down to third man but was furious when he was out for 120, one of Matt Henry’s four victims.
His 179-run partnership for the third-wicket with Tector, who had made 113 in the series opener, was an Irish ODI record.
When Tector went for 108, the hosts’ hopes of victory looked slim, but George Dockrell’s rapid 22 kept them in the fight to the end.
Scoreboard
NEW ZEALAND:
Martin Guptill lbw Delany 115 Finn Allen c Dockrell b Little 33 Will Young run out 3 Tom Latham c Tector b Campher 30 Henry Nicholls b Young 79 Glenn Phillips c Campher b Little 47 Michael Bracewell not out 21 Mitchell Santner not out 14 EXTRAS (LB-9, NB-2 W-7) 18 TOTAL (for six wickets, 50 overs) 360 FALL OF WICKETS: 1-78 (Allen), 2-86 (Young), 3-146 (Latham), 4-242 (Guptill), 5-296 (Nicholls), 6-341 (Phillips) DID NOT BAT: Henry, Tickner, Ferguson BOWLING: Young 8-0-56-1 (1nb); Hume 9-0-62-0 (2w); Little 10-0-84-2 (5w, 1nb); McBrine 9-0-53-0; Campher 7-0-46-1; Delany 7-0-50-1
IRELAND:
Paul Stirling c Phillips b Henry 120 Andrew Balbirnie lbw Henry 0 Andy McBrine c Young b Henry 26 Harry Tector b Santner 108 Gareth Delany c Guptill b Santner 22 Curtis Campher c & b Tickner 5 Lorcan Tucker c Henry b Santner 14 George Dockrell c Bracewell b Henry 22 Graham Hume not out 7 Craig Young run out 6 Joshua Little not out 1 EXTRAS (B-5, LB-11, NB-1, W-11) 28 TOTAL (for nine wickets, 50 overs) 359 FALL OF WICKETS: 1-7 (Balbirnie), 2-62 (McBrine), 3-241 (Stirling), 4-271 Delany, 5-278 (Campher), 6-310 (Tector), 7-320 (Tucker), 8-348 (Dockrell), 9-357 (Young) BOWLING: Ferguson 10-0-60-0 (3w 1nb); Henry 10-0-68-4 (1w) Tickner 10-0-71-1 (2w) Bracewell 7-0-51-0; Santner 10-0-71-3 (1w); Phillips 3-0-22-0 RESULT: New Zealand won by one run. MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Martin Guptill SERIES: New Zealand won three-match series 3-0. MAN-OF-THE SERIES: Michael Bracewell
Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2022
