2nd T20I, , December 24, 2021, 05:30 AM
Ireland
150/10(18.5ov)
USA
141/7(20.0ov)
Ireland beat USA by 9 runs
Best Batsmen
R
B
4S
6S
SR
Best Bowler
O
R
W
Econ
Man of the Match
Lorcan Tucker
Commentry
Right then! That is it from this match and the T20I series as well. It ends 1-1 but there's plenty of action left in this tour. The ODI series between USA and Ireland begins on Sunday, the 26th of December. That match will start at 10:00 am local (3:00 pm GMT). Do join us for the live action then. Cheers!
Andy Balbirnie, the skipper of Ireland, says that they showed fighting spirit and character in this game. Adds that Tucker and Campher were brilliant in the game but the other players need to improve their performance moving forward. Mentions that they knew USA would be a good team and it was a hard-fought series between both the teams.
USA skipper, Monank Patel says that they felt like 150 wasn't a par score and were confident of chasing it down. He adds that the Powerplay was the area in which they lost the match because they didn't take risks and should have got at least 45 runs in that phase. About Vaghela, he mentions that the youngster executed the plans really well and was very impactful. He adds that the plan was to give the youngsters a couple of opportunities and is proud of the way they performed.
Lorcan Tucker is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH AND PLAYER OF THE SERIES! He says that he didn't play a game in the T20 WC but it was a great opportunity to bat at number 3 for the team. Adds that he was a bit scratchy in the first game but he was a lot more fluent in this game. Says that they never took the game lightly and worked hard to get the important wickets.
... The Presentation Ceremony ...
Curtis Campher, almost turned out to be the villain for Ireland tonight but instead was the hero. Campher inflicted a run out early on and then dropped a dolly of catch. But when he came on to bowl the 18th over, he was treated to two maximums off the first two deliveries but he kept his nerve and ended up picking three wickets in the over. This turned the game in favor of Ireland. The Irish pace bowlers were pretty decent and Mark Adair closed out the innings really well. They will be happy to get over the line as a second defeat to USA would have left them high and dry.
USA must have felt like the happier of the two sides going into the break and with the dew factor on their side, they would be a bit disappointed with that batting performance. Unlike the first match, they did get off to a decent start but once Scott fell, Behera and Patel were bogged down by the Irish bowlers. Behera just couldn't get going and got out after which Patel and Singh stitched together a partnership. After they got out, Kain hit a couple of lusty blows and it was Sushant Modani who almost turned the game around with those two sixes off Campher but once he fell, the USA tail just didn't have the firepower to get over the line.
What a thriller of a match we have witnessed tonight! Ireland have held their nerve and have managed to level the series 1-1! As for USA, they came so close to sweeping the T20I series but it wasn't meant to be.
In over# 20
1
0
0
4
1b
1wd
0
Mark Adair 25/1(4)
19.6
1
Full and outside off. Patel gets the inside edge towards short fine leg for one. Ireland win by 9 runs!
19.5
.
Yorker, outside off. Patel gets no bat on it. Ireland's game now!
19.4
.
Brilliant bowling! Slower and fuller, outside off. Patel gets no bat on it.
19.3
4
FOUR! Just short of the ropes! Length ball wide outside off. Patel reaches it out and lofts it over covers. It falls just short of the ropes. 11 from 3 now.
19.2
1b
Yorker, just outside off. Saurabh Netravalkar gets no bat on it but the batters take a bye.
19.2
1wd
A wide this time as this is a full one, outside off is left alone.
19.1
.
A full and wide one, outside off. Saurabh Netravalkar misses the drive. Not given a wide as Saurabh Netravalkar is standing on the off pole.
Who will bowl the final over? It's going to be the death specialist, Mark Adair.
In over# 19
4
1wd
1
2
2
0
1
Barry McCarthy 24/0(4)
18.6
4
FOUR! Boundary! A good finish to the over and USA need 17 from the last over! Full and on off. Patel drives it well. The fielders at extra cover and mid off dive but the ball goes through them for a boundary!