Paul Stirling heroics help Ireland beat West Indies in a high-scoring thriller

St George’s: Paul Stirling’s explosive 95 helped Ireland register a thrilling four-run win over West Indies in the first T20I of the three-match series played at the National Cricket Stadium, Grenada.

Captain Andrew Balbirnie won an important toss on Wednesday evening and elected to make first use of a wearing wicket. The opening pair of Stirling (95 from 47 balls) and Kevin O’Brien (48 from 32 balls) smashed the ball to all parts of the ground — and smashed some records along the way — as they set about demolishing a shell-shocked West Indian attack. The pair put on 93 runs in the first six overs — a record high team score during the first powerplay in T20I cricket — and went on to strike a 154-run partnership in 12.3 overs. This was a record T20I partnership for Ireland for any wicket and put the visitors in a commanding position.

However, just when things appeared to go beyond West Indies’ hands, Dwayne Bravo, making his return to international cricket after reversing his retirement, scalped the wicket of O’Brien just two runs short of his half-century. Stirling fell five balls later, five runs short of what would have been a deserved ton. His innings included 8 sixes and 6 fours. Towards the end of the innings, 19 from Gareth Delany and 17 from Gary Wilson helped the Irish end on 208/6 — their third-highest team score in T20I cricket. The second match will be played on Saturday at St. Kitts and Nevis.

Brief Scores: Ireland 208/6 (Paul Stirling 95, Kevin O’Brien 48; Dwayne Bravo 2-28); West Indies 204/7 (Evin Lewis 53, Josh Little 3/29). IANS

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