Match 8, Oman, February 19, 2022, 03:30 PM
Ireland
158/5(20.0ov)
Bahrain
137/5(20.0ov)
Ireland beat Bahrain by 21 runs
Right then! That is it from this game! The action from T20 World Cup Qualifier A continues and Ireland will go up against Germany in their next game on Monday, 21st February. That game begins at 11.30 am IST (6 am GMT). Do join us then and make sure you tune in early for the buildup. Cheers!
Gareth Delany is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH. He says that it was a tricky start for him but George Dockrell helped along well. Tells that they had a disappointing start as they lost to UAE but they knew that they need to win the remaining games in order to qualify for the semis. Says that they have got the win here and will now look forward to get a win against Germany as well.
Andy Balbirnie, the skipper of Ireland, says that it was a tough game and they are happy to end up on the right side. Tells that Craig Young has been bowling well for them and applauds him for the way he bowled in this match. Adds that Dockrell and Delany batted well and they knew that it was always going to be tough to beat Bahrain.
Bahrain skipper, Sarfaraz Ali is up for a chat. He says that it was a tough game but will come back stronger in the next game. Tells that the bowlers bowled well but the last 5 overs cost them the match. Adds that they are enjoying their cricket and hopefully they will do their best next time.
... THE PRESENTATION ...
Ireland bowlers were clinical as they didn't allow the game to drift away from them at any point. All the bowlers, apart from Josh Little, stuck to their task and kept Bahrain's batters on toes. Craig Young snared three wickets while the spinners got one wicket apiece. All in all, it was a dominant performance from the Irish team. Ireland have now moved up and secured the third spot in the points table. They will now need to win their next game against Germany in order to qualify for the semi-final.
Bahrain had a decent target to chase and their openers, Muhammad Younis and Sarfaraz Ali did lay a decent foundation. Although, once Bahrain lost both of them, they were in a spot of bother. None of the other batters got going and the required rate kept creeping up. David Mathias held one end but even he was unable to find boundaries at regular intervals. They kept on losing wickets at the backend and were handed a comprehensive defeat. Sathaiya Veerapathiran did hit a few lusty blows in the end overs but it was too little too late for Bahrain.
A pretty comfortable victory in the end for Ireland. Their bowlers stuck to their plans and made sure that Bahrain's batters don't run away with the chase. They kept their calm even though they failed to make early inroads and Bahrain never looked like chasing down the total once their opening stand was broken.
In over# 20
1
0
2
6
0
6
1wd
Simi Singh 40/1(4)
19.6
1
Floats it up, on middle. Sathaiya Veerapathiran gets low and sweeps it to deep square leg for a single. IRELAND WIN BY 21 RUNS!
19.5
.
This is pushed back to the bowler.
19.4
2
Full and outside off, Sathaiya Veerapathiran slices it to deep cover for a brace.
19.3
6
SIX! Wow! Loopy ball, on middle. Sathaiya Veerapathiran hammers it all the way over long on for a biggie.
19.2
.
Outside off, Sathaiya Veerapathiran misses his cut.
19.1
6
SIX! Short and on middle, Sathaiya Veerapathiran pulls it to fine leg for a maximum.
19.1
1wd
WIDE! Short and wide, outside off, beyond the tramline. Wide called.
In over# 19
2
0
4
0
1wd
0
1
Mark Adair 25/0(4)
18.6
2
On middle, Safdar heaves it to deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs.
18.5
.
Outside off, on a length. Muhammad Safdar heaves across the line and misses.
18.4
4
FOUR! Too little too late for Bahrain! Short ball, on middle. Muhammad Safdar miscues his pull. The ball goes off the top edge to deep square leg for a boundary.