New Zealand stage impressive fightback to win first T20I vs Ireland

19 July,2022 11:14 AM IST |  Stormont  |  IANS

With the bat Glenn Phillips scored a quick-fire unbeaten 69 off 52 balls to bring the Black Caps back into the game after they had lost 4 top-order wickets cheaply

New Zealand players. Pic/AFP


New Zealand showed their fighting qualities, rallying from the loss of four early wickets to put up a competitive 173/8 in the opening T20 International here and then dismiss hosts Ireland for 142 runs for a comprehensive 31-run victory.

With the bat Glenn Phillips scored a quick-fire unbeaten 69 off 52 balls to bring the Black Caps back into the game after they had lost top-order batters Martin Guptill (24), Finn Allen (1), Dane Cleaver (5) and Daryl Mitchell (5) cheaply.

Phillips' half century aided by a four-for from pace bowler Lockie Ferguson helped the tourists take the lead in the three-match T20I series following their ODI series sweep recently.

Ireland had a dream start, with opener Finn Allen hitting Josh Little straight to cover, and then dismissing the in-form Guptill -- who scored a century on the final ODI -- who holed out to long-off off Mark Adair.

Dane Cleaver then edged a pull shot off Little to wicketkeeper Tucker. Ireland struck again as Daryl Mitchell top-edged Curtis Campher's delivery to the keeper, but Phillips took the tourists to safety with his half-century.

Also Read: Cricketers and fans react to Ben Stokes' shocking ODI retirement

From 54/4, the Kiwis recovered to post 173/8, with Phillips' knock the key contribution, and James Neesham and Michael Bracewell also playing a pair of important hands.

In reply, Ireland could never get a productive partnership, though several batters made promising starts. Captain Andy Balbirnie was the first to go, slashing Jacob Duffy twice over point for four before falling to a superb catch from Santner, the Black Caps skipper running back from mid-off to cling on as the ball descended sharply.

Brief scores: New Zealand 173/8 in 20 overs (G Phillips 69 not out, J Neesham 29 not out; J Little 4-35) beat Ireland 142 in 18.2 overs (C Campher 29, M Adair 25; L Ferguson 4/14) by 31 runs.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
ireland new zealand cricket news sports news t20 international
Related Stories