HOBART, Oct 21: Leg-spinner Gareth Delany picked career-best figures of 3/16 while veteran opener Paul Stirling, playing in his seventh Men’s T20 World Cup, stood up when it mattered the most, slamming a sensational 66 not out to take Ireland to the Super 12 stage of the ongoing tournament with a nine-wicket drubbing of West Indies in a decisive Group B match of the first round at Bellerive Oval on Friday.
After Delany kept things tight, with other bowlers chipping in, to keep the West Indies to an under-par 146/5 in 20 overs, with Brandon King making an unbeaten 62, Stirling came out all guns blazing in his unbeaten 48-ball knock, hitting six fours and two sixes to make a mockery of the chase, hunting down the total with 15 balls remaining.
Meanwhile, captain Craig Ervine played a captain’s knock of 58 off 54 balls while Sikandar Raza smacked a cameo of 40 as Zimbabwe beat Scotland by five wickets in the first round of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at Bellerive Oval to end up as winners of Group B and clinch the final Super 12 spot.
After Tendai Chatara and Richard Ngarava picked two wickets each in a clinical bowling performance to restrict Scotland to a paltry total of 132/6 in 20 overs, Zimbabwe were in trouble at 42/3 in eight overs. But Ervine, who hit his sixth T20I fifty, and Raza shared a 64-run stand off 43 balls, followed by Milton Shumba and Ryan Burl applying finishing touches for Zimbabwe to chase down the total with nine balls to spare.
As Group B toppers, Zimbabwe will now enter Group 2 of Super 12 alongside India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh and the Netherlands for the very first time. Ireland will now move towards Group 1 alongside defending champions Australia, Afghanistan, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka as the second-best side from Group B. (IANS)
