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Ireland Cricket Team
Canada punched above their weight to shock fancied Ireland by 12 runs and record their first win in the T20 World Cup on a pitch that played much better and where the batters weren't getting hit here on Friday. Asked to bat first, Canada struggled to force the pace until Barbadian-born Nicholas Kirton threw caution to the wind and lifted them to a fighting 137 for seven. Kirton blazed away to a 35-ball 49 and wicketkeeper Shreyas Movva chipped in with 37 in 36 deliveries as the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium saw 100 being crossed for the first time in the tournament. In reply, Ireland too went past the three-figure mark but fell short of the 138-run target set by Canada, ending at 125 for seven. George Dockrell (30 not out) and Mark Adair (34 off 24 balls) revived Ireland's prospects with their excellent partnership of 62 runs, but they couldn't see their team through. Jeremy Gordon (2/16) and Dillon Heyliger (2/18) bowled brilliantly to stop their higher-ranked ...
Ireland will bank on their experienced batters Andy Balbirnie, Paul Stirling and Harry Tector to recover from the pummeling given by India and get their T20 World Cup campaign back on track when they face a dangerous Canada here on Friday. Ireland went down by eight wickets against India on Wednesday, while Canada will be eager to recover after a seven-wicket loss to co-hosts USA. Playing in their eighth T20 World Cup, Ireland have often struggled to make an impression in the event despite several of their key players playing in English county. In fact, they have made it to the 'Super 8' only once in 2009. Balbirnie and captain Stirling, who have a combined experience of more than 250 T20Is, were unable to give the side a decent start on a difficult pitch at the Nassau Country Stadium, even as rival skipper Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant showed the way with their batting master-class while guiding India to a huge win. Tector, a veteran of 77 T20Is, too failed to kick on as Ireland