IRELAND MEN MADE it four wins on the trot as they produced a dominant bowling display in a nine-wicket victory over Jersey in their ICC T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier at the Goldenacre Sports Ground.
After Ireland’s seam attack of Barry McCarthy, Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, and Josh Little had demolished the Jersey batting unit, the top-order took care of business, and comfortably reached their target inside 11 overs.
Ireland made one change to the team that beat Austria yesterday, as Andrew Balbirnie came back in to replace Ross Adair.
While chasing a modest 79 runs for victory, Ireland got off to an excellent start with nine runs off the first over, which included a well-executed punch through the off-side field for four by Balbirnie.
Showing renewed confidence with the bat, he then struck back-to-back sixes followed by a cover drive for four as Ireland looked in cruise control.
They moved onto 29-0 after three overs but, while trying his favoured sweep shot, Balbirnie succumbed to a slower ball from Benjamin Ward for 25.
Lorcan Tucker came in at three, and with a single first ball brought up 1,000 career T20I runs.
Ireland were never in any trouble in the chase, and it was only fitting that it was the skipper Stirling who finished the game off in style with a six towards mid-wicket.
Earlier in the day, and having been put in to bat, Jersey found life difficult from the very first ball, with just one of their batters reaching double figures.
Left-arm seamer Little claimed two wickets in his first over – Julius Sumerauer and Nick Greenwood both for the dreaded duck.
Harrison Carlyon (seven), Jonty Jenner (seven), and Ward (three) all fell as Jersey were in all sorts of trouble at 25-5 inside just seven overs.
Teenager Asa Tribe did play some quality shots, including knocking Little for six – their first of the match in the 10th over – and followed it up with a boundary as he moved onto 23 from 21 balls.
Josh Lawrenson then decided to target leg-spinner Ben White in the next over, but he fell to a comfortable catch by George Dockrell – who was making his 300th appearance for Ireland across all formats – in the deep.
The Tribe brothers, Asa and Zak, went in successive overs as Ireland eventually restricted Jersey to 78-9, with McCarthy taking an excellent 3-7 for his four overs.
Ireland will have a day off tomorrow before returning to the same venue to take on Germany at 10.30am.
