ABU DHABI: Paul Stirling (30) and Gareth Delany (44) comfortably chased the target for Ireland as they beat Netherlands comfortably by seven wickets in third match of T20 World Cup’s qualifying round.
Set to chase paltry 107 runs in 20 overs, Ireland’s opener Stirling partnered strongly with middle-order batter Delany to set the tone of the chase after they lost two quick wickets. Fred Klaassen, Brandon Glover, Pieter Seelaar bagged a wicket each for Netherlands.
Stirling struck a boundary and a six whereas Delany smashed five boundaries and two sixes during his stay at the crease.
Earlier, Curtis Campher bagged four back-to-back wickets in an over to register a record in T20 World Cup’s history and helped Ireland bowl out the Netherlands for 106.
After deciding to bat first, Netherlands lost their opener, Ben Cooper, on a run-out that put them under pressure. The Netherlands lost two quick wickets initially as Ireland started taking charge in third match.
Max O’Dowd and Bas de Leede tried to cope up with the pressure as they scored 23 runs together but Josh Little came up with power and bagged Leede in the fifth over to reduce the Netherlands to 22-1.
Dowd carried his momentum and alongside Colin Ackermann scored crucial 29 runs before Campher came and conquered the show. The right-arm medium pacer took four wickets in a row to rattle the opposition.
Further destruction was caused by Mark Adair who picked up three wickets to help Ireland keep their upper hand. Dowd fought hard and scored worthy 51 runs off 47 balls with the help of seven boundaries.
Netherland’s skipper Pieter Seelaar added 21 runs to his team’s total.
Apart from Campher and Adair, Little bagged a wicket for Ireland.
