The Irish cricket team almost caused a major upset as they came close to chasing down the 360 runs set by New Zealand in a batting fest in Malahide, Ireland, on Friday, July 15. Paul Stirling and Harry Tector almost turned the tide in Ireland's favour with a brilliant 179-run partnership — Ireland's highest for the third wicket and sixth highest overall. Needing 10 off the last over and the ball with Blair Tickner, New Zealand's least experienced seamer, the Kiwis did well to close out a one-run victory.
Tickner bowled the first two deliveries just inside the wide lines and away from the reach of debutant Graham Hume. But the match almost fell out of New Zealand's hand when Glenn Phillips, who is among New Zealand's best fielders, dropped Craig Young and parried the ball past the rope for four in the next ball.
Young, however, ran himself out while trying to scramble a second run next ball, leaving Ireland with four to get off the last two balls, with No.11 Josh Little on strike. He could only manage a single off the penultimate ball and Hume a bye off the last as New Zealand squeezed their way to a 3-0 whitewash and maintained their perfect record in the World Cup Super League.
But at one point in the game, Ireland almost closed out the victory courtesy of Stirling and Tector, who scored 120 and 108 runs each. But after their whirlwind partnership, Stirling was the first to fall off Matt Henry's bowling and looked furious at himself. Stirling hit his 120 off just 103 balls and at a striker rate of 116.50. His 179-run partnership for the third wicket with Tector, who had made 113 in the series opener, was an Irish ODI record.
When Tector went for 108, the hosts' hopes of victory looked slim, but George Dockrell's rapid 22 kept them in the fight to the end.
Earlier, it was Martin Guptill's brilliant century that help New Zealand reach such a competitive score. Guptill hit his 18th ODI century and finished his innings at 115 runs off 126 balls as Henry Nicholls smashed three sixes in his 54-ball innings of 79.
New Zealand will resume their duel with Ireland in three Twenty20 internationals starting on Monday. They completed a 3-0 rout of their opponents with this one-run win.
