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Ireland stunned two-time T20 World Cup champions West Indies in their final group game as they head to the Super 12 stage of the competition, and their veteran opener Andrew Balbirnie expressed a wide array of emotions during the post-match presentation.
Chasing 147 for the important win, Balbirnie and his opening partner Paul Stirling set up a brilliant 73-run partnership to pile the pressure on West Indies. Stirling, along with Lorcan Tucker, kept the scoreboard ticking after Balbirnie was dismissed by Akeal Hosein, scoring 37 off just 23 balls. They eventually held on to ensure that the Irish lads took the game home without losing another wicket and 15 balls to spare.
The Windies' nine-wicket defeat at the Bellerive Oval effectively knocked them out of the T20 World Cup. Speaking after the match, an elated Andrew Balbirnie pour out his emotions and said that it was a proud day to be Irish.
"It means everything, we had a disappointing loss last year. We changed a lot of things. To come back and beat two-time champions is delightful. Once we put ourselves in the super-12s, anything can happen. We can play three games here which can be great. It was a really good wicket today. His batting made it easier for me and vice-versa, Tucker and the bowlers were superb. Proud day to be Irish," the player said in the post-match presentation.
Earlier, the Nicholas Pooran-led West Indies were restricted to just 145 runs. The only batter worth mentioning is Brandon King, who kept the fight going with his unbeaten 62 off 48 balls.
The Windies' batters were not even allowed to settle into the game by the Irish bowlers, with Delany getting the wickets of their most dangerous batters Evin Lewis, Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell in quick succession to stifle the West India batting attack.
Odean Smith smashed 19 off 12 balls in the final overs of the match to take them to a sub-par score, which was eventually not enough.
The Irish were condemned to a loss in their opening match against Zimbabwe, courtesy of an exceptional batting performance from Sikander Raza. But the side came off their own in the second innings and were able to make it to the main stage of the competition.
