IRE beat WI 2nd ODI: Andy McBrine and Harry Tector star in rain-shortened victory to square series against West Indies

IRE beat WI 2nd ODI: Ireland won by 5 wickets – Ireland Men have levelled the ODI series at 1-1 after a comfortable five-wicket victory against the West Indies in the second one-day international at Sabina Park in Kingston today. Follow InsideSport.IN for more updates

IRE beat WI 2nd ODI: Andy McBrine and Harry Tector star in rain-shortened victory to square series against West Indies

IRE beat WI 2nd ODI: McBrine and Tector star in rain-shortened victory to square series against West Indies

While there were a number of key contributors to the visiting side’s victory, Andy McBrine’s and Harry Tector’s contributions stood out at a cricket ground that has already produced many happy memories for Irish fans over the years.

McBrine bowled beautifully – he was controlled, economical, and crucially claimed four wickets, then came out with the bat and made a well-crafted 35, which helped propel Ireland to the win.

🏏 MATCH UPDATE

McBrine falls for a well-made 35.

▪️ West Indies 229 (48 overs)
▪️ Ireland 104-3 (19.4 overs)

Follow the game:

➡️ Scorecard: https://t.co/cVlMf8Hut4
➡️ Broadcast: BT Sport / ESPN
➡️ Radio: talkSPORT2#BackingGreen #IREvWI ☘️🏏 pic.twitter.com/nRP1ZyOXXg

— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) January 13, 2022

Meanwhile, Harry Tector continued his stunning run of form in the 50-over format hitting his sixth ODI half-century in his last nine innings. His 54* today was near faultless, showing an array of shots around the ground, as well as a number of sublimely-timed drives through the off-side.

👉 Harry Tector’s last 10 ODI knocks

▪️30* v Netherlands
▪️58 v Netherlands
▪️25 v South Africa
▪️79 v South Africa
▪️29 v South Africa
▪️50 v Zimbabwe
▪️55 v Zimbabwe
▪️13* v Zimbabwe
▪️53 v West Indies

Today:
▪️54* v West Indies#GoHarry ☘️🏏 pic.twitter.com/gYOTWz9jDp

— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) January 13, 2022

IRE beat WI 2nd ODI: Ireland won by 5 wickets – Ireland’s batters demonstrated they had learned hard lessons from the first ODI – a game which the team admitted that they feel was one they threw away. Tector has said after the first match that “he will live and learn” from the disappointment of that match, and indeed, today he delivered. His control of the innings – coming in at 60-2 to remain unbeaten in a successful run chase – showed a maturity to his batting that many knew he had within him, but he hadn’t fully displayed. Until today.

When Gareth Delany clipped the ball past point to win the match, there was joyous celebration by an Irish team who had fought through diversity off the field over the last week, and showed the cricket world they had the skill, guile and resilience to compete with the best.

IRE beat WI 2nd ODI: Andy McBrine and Harry Tector star in rain-shortened victory to square series against West Indies

Earlier in the day, with Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie sidelined from this match with a COVID infection, stand-in captain Paul Stirling won the toss and elected to bat under early morning cloudless skies.

IRE beat WI 2nd ODI: Ireland won by 5 wickets –  Stirling had captained six T20 Internationals, but this was his first ODI in charge – and early on it looked as though he had a charmed start to ODI captaincy. Three early wickets fell – two of which were overturned on review after being given not out. Craig Young was the early dangerman with the ball, claiming 3-12 in his first 4 over spell – he nicked off Shai Hope (17), bowled Justin Greaves (10), and then trapped Nicholas Pooran (1) in front.

👏👏👏 PAUL STIRLING becomes the first player for Ireland to pass 5,000 ODI career runs.#CongratsStirlo ☘️🏏 pic.twitter.com/lpRy4Wc0Bv

— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) January 13, 2022

After a steadying 48-run fourth wicket stand between Shamarh Brooks and Roston Chase (13), Stirling was back in the thick of the action with a spectacular reflex catch of Chase off Andy McBrine.

IRE beat WI 2nd ODI: Andy McBrine and Harry Tector star in rain-shortened victory to square series against West Indies

Circumstances, though, began to ring eerily familiar. In the last match, Ireland had West Indies at 62-4, from which the home side recovered to post 269 – the Irish did not want to let the Caribbean side off the hook a second time.

This time Kieron Pollard – fresh off a 69 in the last match – couldn’t repeat the his run-scoring feat in this game. The off-spinner McBrine had bowled tightly coming around the wicket to the right-handers, but switched over-the-wicket and claimed the prize wicket of Pollard the very next ball for 1. Pollard fell with the score on 93-5, and was soon followed back to the pavilion by all-rounder Jason Holder, nicking off to Josh Little for three.

IRE beat WI 2nd ODI: Ireland won by 5 wickets – Stirling kept his attacking fields and was rewarded with the wicket of Brooks for 43 – trapped LBW trying to sweep the left-armer Dockrell.

However, taking a counter-attacking approach, Romario Shepherd (50 off 41 balls) and Odean Smith (49 off 19 balls) put on late runs. The pair combined for a ninth wicket stand of 58 from 27 balls – carrying West Indies beyond 200 and giving their side a chance on a pitch that increasingly looked good for batting.

The West Indies total of 229 was inflated unfortunately by 27 wides – a bowling statistic the Men in Green would not have welcomed, and the most number of wides Ireland has bowled in an innings since they bowled 23 wides in the World Cup match against Pakistan at the same venue back in 2007.

McBrine’s 4-29 was his second-best bowling figures in ODI cricket and moved him into fifth place on Ireland’s all-time ODI wicket-taking list.

IRE beat WI 2nd ODI: Andy McBrine and Harry Tector star in rain-shortened victory to square series against West Indies