Match 3, Abu Dhabi, October 18, 2021, 03:30 PM
Netherlands
106/10(20.0ov)
Ireland
107/3(15.1ov)
Ireland beat Netherlands by 7 wickets
Right then! That is all we have from this game, but the action continues in the T20 World Cup. Up next, it's Sri Lanka vs Namibia in Group A. That one begins at 6 pm local time (2 pm GMT). Till then, take care and goodbye.
Curtis Campher is the MAN OF THE MATCH! Campher says that he just kept hitting the hard length and kept bowling on probing lines and lengths. Mentions that the skipper has faith in him and that helps a lot. Tells that he definitely heard some noise (On Ackermann's wicket) and says that he also knew that the ball was going to hit the stumps (On Edwards') wicket and therefore, they took the review.
The Irish skipper, Andy Balbirnie says that, it feels really good to get a win. Mentions that their bowling performance was really satisfying as a group and their batters did well to chase it down. Tells that they were pretty disciplined. Adds that Gareth Delany played the innings they wanted him to play and it was a comfortable chase in the end.
The captain of Netherlands, Pieter Seelaar says that, it wasn't the best Powerplay and the wicket was not as flat as they thought it would be. Adds that the bowlers did show some fight and defending such a total isn't easy. Mentions that the wicket did hold up a little bit and even in the first innings it wasn't easy to bat on. Adds that it's never easy to win three in a row and they'll make sure that they win the next one against Namibia.
... THE PRESENTATION CEREMONY ...
Earlier in the day, a hat-trick from Curtis Campher and some brilliant bowling from Mark Adair saw Netherlands being restricted to a really modest total. It proved to be a cake walk for the Irish batters as they chased down 107 runs with 29 balls left, on the back of a great innings from Gareth Delany. With this Ireland go top in Group A and have given a huge boost to their Super 12 qualification chances.
After a poor display with the bat, Netherlands only made things worse for themselves with the ball as they gave away 7 extras in the first over itself. However, their bowlers did keep things tight in the Powerplay and even picked up a couple of wickets. With a low score on the board, it required one good partnership and that is what Netherlands failed to break. Seelaar did stop Delany from reaching his half-century but it was a little too late for Netherlands to pull back things. Logan van Beek bowled well but didn't get a wicket while Seelaar, Klassen and Glover got one each. In the end they just didn't have runs on the board and were outclassed in all areas today.
Ireland will be so proud of their performance today as they finally got a win over Netherlands in the T20 World Cup. Kevin O'Brien and Paul Stirling started briskly and were helped by some early extras. O'Brien did throw his wicket away cheaply and the skipper, Balbirnie fell soon after. After this, Gareth Delany came in and looked positive right from the off. He put on a 59-run stand along with Paul Stirling and this put Ireland in pole position. Delany did fall but Stirling saw his team through by playing an anchor innings, which we rarely see from the big-hitter.
Ireland have made a statement with this win and have stamped their authority in this difficult group. An exceptional performance sees them wrap this one up with almost 5 overs to go, that'll help their net run-rate and Netherlands will be thoroughly disappointed with their performance.
In over# 16
1
Pieter Seelaar 14/1(2.1)
15.1
1
That's it! There comes the winning runs! On the pads, Curtis Campher whips it to mid-wicket for a single. IRELAND WIN BY 7 WICKETS!
Pieter Seelaar (2-0-13-1) is back on.
In over# 15
4
0
0
1
4
0
Logan van Beek 14/0(3)
14.6
4
FOUR! There comes the Paul Stirling we know! Logan van Beek dishes out a length ball, on off. Paul Stirling clears his front leg and whacks it over the bowler's head for a boundary. Scores are level now.
14.5
.
On a length on off, Paul Stirling presses forward and defends it solidly off the front foot.
14.4
.
Length ball, outside off. Paul Stirling defends it towards covers. This is very unline Stirling innings so far.
14.3
1
On middle, nudged to mid-wicket for a single.
14.2
4
FOUR! Short of a length, on off. Curtis Campher pulls it to deep mid-wicket. The fielder from deep square leg runs to his left but the ball wins the race. A boundary.
14.1
.
Fuller in length, on off. Curtis Campher squeezes it back to the bowler.