Glenn Phillips made an unbeaten half-century as the Black Caps completed a Twenty20 clean sweep over Ireland. (File photo)
At Stormont, Belfast: Ireland 174-6 (Paul Stirling 40 off 29, Mark Adair 37no off 15; Ish Sodhi 2-27, Blair Tickner 2-35) lost to Black Caps 180-4 in 19 overs (Glenn Phillips 56no off 44; Daryl Mitchell 48 off 32; Paul Little 2-33) by six wickets
Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell combined for a match-winning partnership of 82 off 51 balls as the Black Caps completed a Twenty20 clean sweep over Ireland.
The pair came together in the eighth over with their side 65-3 chasing 175 to win at Stormont in Belfast.
When they were separated, the Black Caps were 147-4, needing 28 more runs off 20 balls, and with the help of a late flurry from Jimmy Neesham, they got there with an over to spare.
Phillips finished unbeaten on 56 off 44 balls while Neesham made 23 off six and completed the chase with a six over mid-wicket.
READ MORE:
* Michael Bracewell, Dane Cleaver enhance Black Caps’ T20 World Cup hopes
* Dane Cleaver makes impact with bat as New Zealand secure T20 series win over Ireland
* Lockie Ferguson shines with ball in Black Caps’ opening T20 win over Ireland
* Black Caps opener Martin Guptill dedicates 18th ODI ton to his late father
Mitchell made 48 off 32 before he was caught and bowled by Paul Little to give Ireland a late sniff, the bowler running out to square leg to complete the dismissal.
Martin Guptill gave the Black Caps a solid start, making 25 off 19 before he was dismissed in the eighth over.
Phillips earlier had two lives in that over, bowled by left-arm spinner George Dockrell, and made the most of those reprieves to lead his side home, scoring just 10 of his runs in boundaries – a four and a six.
Speaking after being named man of the match and man of the series, Phillips said: “It was very much a team effort all the way around.
“From Lockie taking four [wickets] in the first one to the way Daryl and Neesh finished it at the end here today, it was a great effort from all the boys all around.”
Little was the pick of Ireland’s bowlers, though he conceded 17 runs in his final over as Neesham and Phillips looked to avoid taking the chase into the 20th, and finished with 2-33.
Paul Stirling made 40 off 29 to get Ireland going after he won the toss and chose to bat, and they made their highest total of the series after Mark Adair hit 37 off 15 balls at the death.
With 174 runs on the board, they took early wickets to set up a contest, but the Phillips-Mitchell partnership proved to be their undoing.
The big moment
When Curtis Campher returned to the bowling crease for the 15th over, the asking rate for the Black Caps had climbed to 10.5 runs per over. With plenty of wickets in hand, they were hardly up against it, but the 20 runs that followed from the next six balls took nearly two runs per over off the equation.
Best with the bat
Phillips followed up his impressive 69 in the series opener with another well-timed innings here, even if he did ride his luck when he was dropped twice in the eighth over. His strong running between the wickets was a feature as he made a strong case for a place in the Black Caps’ increasingly crowded T20 middle order.
Best with the ball
Stirling is always a big wicket to get for any team playing Ireland and Sodhi made a key breakthrough when he removed the opener for 40 in the 10th over. The leg-spinner then claimed the scalp of Dockrell for good measure before finishing with 2-27 from his four overs as the Black Caps stopped Ireland from building momentum.
The big picture
Two 3-0 series wins over Ireland, the first in one-day internationals, were exactly what was expected of the Black Caps and they haven’t disappointed. Several players have put their hands up after seizing chances while the likes of Kane Williamson and Trent Boult have been rested. Next up are two T20s and an ODI against Scotland, followed by two T20s against the Netherlands.
التعليقات