Ireland defeated England by 5 runs in the Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup. Due to rain, the Duckworth-Lewis rule was adopted in this match. Electing to bat after losing the toss, the Ireland team set a target of 158 runs to win in front of England. England’s team at one time scored 105 runs in 14.3 overs for the loss of five wickets. The England team needed 53 runs in 27 balls to win. At the same time, the rain became a hindrance in the match. According to the D/L rules, England was behind by 5 runs which became the reason for the defeat. Liam Livingstone and Mark Wood took three wickets each as England bowled Ireland out for 157. Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie scored 62 runs in 47 balls. In the T20 World Cup, this was the first and overall his eighth half-century.
Ireland captain and Lorcan Tucker (34 runs from 27 balls) shared an 82-run stand for the second wicket. But leg-spinner Livingstone dismissed Balbirnie and also sent George Dockrell to the pavilion on the next ball. England wrapped up Ireland’s innings in 19.2 overs. Ireland’s score was 92 for one wicket after 10 overs.
Ireland, who had lost their first match of the Super 12 against Sri Lanka, started off aggressively as Balbirnie completed his fifty off 40 balls. He scored 59 runs in 1 wicket in the powerplay. He got good support from Tucker and played some good pull shots on England pacers Wood and Chris Woakes. Ireland had completed 100 runs in just 68 balls but Tucker was run out after which he lost wickets at regular intervals.
Match Highlights
