Canadian cricketers halt Ireland's comeback to claim maiden ICC Men's T20 World Cup victory

Posted On: June 8, 2024

Canada staved off an Irish comeback to record their first victory in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup on Friday, beating Ireland by 12 runs to level their record at 1-1.

Ireland, recovering from a slow start, scored 51 runs in their last five overs as they chased a victory target of 138.

Needing 28 runs from the last two overs, then 17 from the last six balls, he managed just four from Jeremy Gordon in the final over, sparking a Canadian celebration.

The Canadians, ranked 23rd in the standings, occupy third place in a very open Group A behind the United States (2-0) and India (1-0) and ahead of Pakistan (0-1) and Ireland (0-2). .

The top two teams will advance to the Super-8 phase.

“This is a proud moment for me and my team,” said Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar.

VIEW | Cricket fans in London, Ontario describe the growing popularity of the sport in the region:

These cricket fans are excited to see Canada participating in the World Cup.

London cricket fans are highlighting the sport's growing popularity in the region and their predictions about Canada's performance at the men's T20 World Cup.

Canada, one of three debutants in the 20-nation tournament along with co-hosts the United States and Uganda, will face No. 6 seed Pakistan at the same venue on Tuesday.

The Canadians were put into bat by the world-ranked 11th-ranked Irish in 27C heat that felt like 33C early in the morning in front of an announced crowd of 5,153 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, with a capacity of 34,000 people.

Canada finished with 137 for seven, the highest score in three matches at this venue to date, with Nicholas Kirton (49 runs) and Shreyas Movva (37) steadying the ship after Canadian openers Aaron Johnson and Navneet Dhaliwal retired with 14 and six points. . , respectively.

The Canadian bowlers got to work, supported by a top-notch fielding.

Ireland scored 31 runs at the expense of one wicket in their first six overs and then lost five more wickets for 31 runs in the next seven overs.

Canada dismissed Irish openers Andy Balbirnie and captain Paul Stirling for 17 and 9 respectively. A stingy Canadian bowling attack left the Irish 50-4 after 10 overs.

The Irish hit just two boundaries in their first 15 overs, but there was a sting in the tail with a total of 14 runs in the 16th and 17th overs with No.6 batsman George Dockrell (30 not out) and No. 8 Mark Adair. . (34) keep the scoreboard running.

However, the comeback failed as Ireland completed their 20 overs at 125 for seven.

After a shaky start to the Canadian batting innings, Movva, the sixth batsman, joined Kirton on 53 for four. The duo then combined for 75 runs before Kirton was caught behind for 49 runs with eight balls remaining in the match.

Kirton hit three fours and two sixes during his 35-ball innings, with 17 of his runs coming in an action-packed 18-run 16th over against Craig Younger that took Canada past the 100-run mark.

Movva finished in the 37th minute, missing the last ball and trying to make another run.

Kirton, who scored 51 runs in his first innings against the United States, was named man of the match.

Junaid Siddiqui joined the Canadian lineup in place of Nikhil Dutta, whose bowling was badly hit in the opening loss to the United States. The 39-year-old took plenty of ground from Balbirnie with a catch of his own throw, marking the moment with it. his characteristic X celebration.

A difficult path to travel

While Pakistan and number one India wait, the Canadians will have a tough road ahead. But the group dynamic suddenly changed when the Americans, ranked 18th, pulled off one of the biggest upsets in tournament history by beating Pakistan on Thursday. Pakistan and the United States finished with 159 points, sending the match to a “Super Over” in which the Americans scored 17 points to Pakistan's 13.

The Nassau County ground, temporary home, has already come under scrutiny at the tournament, with Sri Lanka knocked out by South Africa on Monday by a career-best 77 points, while the Ireland managed just 96 runs against India on Wednesday.

The winning score in the first two matches was 97 (India) and 80 (South Africa).

In a statement, the ICC acknowledged that the stadium pitches “did not play as consistently as we would all have liked.”

Canada and Ireland had drawn their previous four T20 matches, with the Canadians winning by 10 runs last time out in a T20 World Cup qualifying tournament in Abu Dhabi.

Canada hit well in its first match against the United States, scoring 194 runs in five innings in Grand Prairie, Texas. But the Canadians were unable to stop the United States' attack.

Ireland, competing in their eighth T20 World Cup, lost by eight wickets to India in their opening match.

The ICC says the winner of the tournament will receive at least $2.45 million of the record total purse of $11.25 million. Teams that do not advance past the preliminary round will win $225,000 and teams will earn an additional $31,154 for each victory, excluding the semi-finals and final.