Ireland starts party with stunning win against Windies

Tuesday, 17 February 2015 01:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

George Dockrell leads the bowling before Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien hit big fifties to help chase down 305 target
Century by Simmons and 89 by Sammy not enough as West Indies struggle

Reuters: Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce came agonisingly close to centuries but still helped Ireland cause the first upset of the 2015 cricket World Cup with a four-wicket victory over West Indies at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Monday. Opener Stirling scored 92 and shared in a 106-run partnership with Joyce (84) while Niall O’Brien added 79 not out to guide Ireland to 307 for six in 45.5 overs after West Indies had scored 304 for seven. It is the third successive World Cup they have beaten a test-playing team after victories over Pakistan and Bangladesh in 2007 and England in 2011. “It’s obviously fantastic. The way we chased those runs was great. It sets us up for the next few games and it’s a great position to be in,” Ireland

captain William Porterfield said. “We know what we are capable of and we believed going out the pitch today, that we could win not only this game but other games in the competition and we want to continue that.” West Indies only posted a score in excess of 300 due to a counter-attacking century from Lendl Simmons (102), who combined with Darren Sammy (89) in a 154-run sixth-wicket partnership. Jason Holder’s side had been in disarray before the tournament with off-spinner Sunil Narine withdrawing and the players involved in a bitter wrangle with their board over payments. Few expected them to seriously challenge for the title and with the loss to Ireland in their opening match, they could be in danger of not making the quarter-finals from Pool B. Ireland also sensed they could upset West Indies before the game and were on top from the moment Porterfield won the toss. None of his bowlers are above medium fast but they took advantage of the pitch conditions and bowled tight line and length to strangle the West Indies top order. Spinners George Dockrell and Andy McBrine then clamped down on the scoring as West Indies failed to rotate the strike by accumulating singles and then lost regular wickets. Simmons and Sammy were forced together at 87 for five in the 24th over after the top order failures. They took their side through to the 45th over before Simmons and Andre Russell (27 not out) put on 61 to give West Indies a total they had never looked likely to achieve earlier. “It was a tough loss, putting 300 runs on the board we backed ourselves to defend it,” said Holder. “We need to tighten up and be better in the games to come.”

Win is not an upset, we expect more: Porterfield

REUTERS: Ireland’s four-wicket victory over West Indies in their opening 2015 World Cup clash on Monday was not an ‘upset’, according to their captain. William Porterfield’s side never actually looked in trouble at Saxton Oval in Nelson, even if they did allow Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy to put on 154 runs for the sixth wicket and leaked 124 in the final 10 overs.

Simmons’ 102 and Sammy’s 89 gave West Indies a total of 304 for seven, though Porterfield felt the score was about par on the small ground and his side should be able to chase it down. They did. Comfortably, scoring 307 for six in 45.5 overs and never really looked like they would not get the target after Porterfield and Paul Stirling put on 71 for the opening wicket. “Personally I hate the term upsets from minnows or associates,” Porterfield told reporters in Nelson. “I don’t see it as an upset. “We came into the game prepared to win, we’re prepared to go into the UAE game prepared to win and then South Africa and so on. “We’re looking to pick up two points in every game, and as long as we’re doing the right things and building up to that, then we’re happy.” The victory was Ireland’s fifth in the World Cup since their debut in 2007, with their first victory over a test nation against Pakistan in Jamaica, which they followed up with a win over Bangladesh in Bridgetown. In 2011 they sealed possibly their biggest victory, beating England by three wickets in Bangalore with Kevin O’Brien scoring a 50-ball century, the fastest at a World Cup. Porterfield, however, had said before Monday’s game that a victory would not be a surprise for his team, something he repeated afterwards. “We always felt under control and never at any stage did we feel like we were under any pressure, which was great,” he said. “We knew there was a lot more in the tank from what we had been doing. “The way we prepared in the nets and how we’ve gone about things, not just on the cricket pitch but mentally as well, and how we’ve prepared has been great, so it’s nice to get the rewards on day one.”

Sammy, Mooney fined for swearing during match

REUTERS: West Indies batsman Darren Sammy and Ireland pace bowler John Mooney were each fined 30% of their match fee for swearing during their World Cup match in New Zealand on Monday. Both incidents happened during the first innings of the match in which Ireland beat West Indies by four wickets. “Sammy was heard on television screens using inappropriate words after playing a shot in the 34th

over,” the International Cricket Council said in a statement. “While in the second instance Mooney swore several times when a fielder dropped a catch in the 45th over.” There was no need for any formal hearing after players admitted their transgressions and accepted the fine handed out by the match referee Chris Broad, the ICC added. Sammy, who scored 89, apologised to the viewers for the obscene language during the post-match press conference. Mooney went for 59 runs in his seven overs while taking one wicket.

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