LAST UPDATE | 26 Oct 2022
IRELAND PULLED OFF a stunning upset Wednesday as they defeated world number two England by five runs in a rain-affected match at the Twenty20 World Cup in Melbourne.
After being sent in to bat, Ireland were all out for 157 with four balls remaining. England’s chase had reached 105-5 when rain ended play after 14.3 overs, five runs behind on the DLS scoring method.
The Irish, who lost their opening Super 12 round match by nine wickets to Sri Lanka, had other ideas.
Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker (34) shared in an 82-run stand, dishing out particular punishment to Chris Woakes who went for 41 off three overs.
Ireland raced to 92-1 off 10 overs before a mid-order collapse led to them being all out with four balls remaining.
Morning drizzle cleared for the toss at an eerily quiet Melbourne Cricket Ground after an electric atmosphere when 90,000 packed the venue on Sunday evening for India’s incredible last-ball win over Pakistan.
England skipper Jos Buttler sent Ireland in but after a brief delay they only managed nine balls before rain forced them from the field.
They returned with no overs lost and Wood accounted for dangerous opener Paul Stirling, caught for 14 by Sam Curran at the ropes after he narrowly avoided a similar fate two balls earlier.
Wood was bowling at an explosive 154kph (96mph), the fastest of the tournament so far.
He caught Balbirnie on the finger, with treatment needed, but the Irish captain soldiered on, with both he Tucker regularly finding the boundary.
Their partnership ended when Tucker was run out for 34, with bowler Adil Rashid getting a finger to a Balbirnie drive, which cannoned into the non-strikers’ stumps with the batsman out of his crease.
VICTORY!
— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) October 26, 2022
What. A. Performance 👏
SCORE: https://t.co/LUtLhuvQAq#IREvENG #BackingGreen #T20WorldCup ☘️🏏 pic.twitter.com/EXRTaIRlS9
Harry Tector was caught behind by Buttler off Wood two balls later to leave Ireland at 103-3, but Balbirnie stayed cool, reaching his eighth T20 half-century before holing out to Alex Hales off Livingstone.
A yorker from Livingstone removed George Dockrell the next delivery before Wood grabbed his third with Curtis Campher (17) the victim.
Livingstone matched Wood’s three-wicket haul when Mark Adair was caught in the deep and Ireland limped to the finish.
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