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JOSH TO PLAY IN IPL
Cricket Ireland has agreed to grant Irish international Josh Little permission to join the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2023 after he was picked up by the Gujarat Titans in today’s IPL Draft – Little becomes the first active Irish international to be offered a contract to play in the world’s biggest franchise tournament.
Little, 23, made his international debut for Ireland in 2016. The left-arm seamer from Dublin has since played 2 ODIs and 53 T20Is for his country.
While local Irish fans were aware of Little’s potential for many years, he burst onto the international radar in May 2019 in his ODI debut when he claimed 4-45 in a devastating spell of pace bowling against England in Dublin – which saw him remove three of the top four batters, including Eoin Morgan for a duck (Morgan is the only other Irish-born cricketer to feature in the IPL previously, however, he was playing for England at that time of his involvement).
Little’s most recent bowling exploits for the national team were in the ICC T20 World Cup against New Zealand when he became the sixth bowler ever to register a hat-trick in a T20 World Cup.
Little has also featured in several franchise leagues – Lanka Premier League and The Hundred – while last month he was picked up in the Pakistan Super League draft and has been offered a deal in the SA20.
Aware of the potential for Little to be successful in today’s draft, Cricket Ireland had indicated to both the player and the tournament organiser that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) would be issued that would allow Little to participate in the entire IPL season, however with one brief exception that covers the three World Cup Super League ODIs against Bangladesh in May 2023.

ROSS ADAIR IN IRELAND SQUAD
Northern Knights’ Ross Adair will join brother Mark in the Ireland Men’s squad that departs for Zimbabwe in early January, while Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector have been granted permission by Cricket Ireland to play in T20 franchise tournaments.
Adair, 28, is the brother of current Irish international, Mark Adair – if selected to play, it will make the pair the first set of brothers to play for Ireland in an international since Niall and Kevin O’Brien in the Test match at Malahide in 2018.
Before turning seriously to cricket, Adair - a right-handed batter and left-arm spinner - had forged a professional rugby union career and appeared for Ulster in the Pro12 competition in the 2014-15 season.

Ireland Under-19s women's squad announced for first-ever Under-19 World Cup
Cricket Ireland has today named a 15-player Ireland Under-19s Women’s squad that will participate in the first-ever ICC Under-19s Women’s T20 World Cup in January 2023 in South Africa.
Instonians’ and Malahide’s Amy Hunter has been named the captain (in 2021, Hunter became the youngest player to score an international ODI century when she struck 121* for Ireland Women against Zimbabwe in Harare).
The Ireland Under-19s Women’s squad is:
Amy Hunter - captain (Instonians/Malahide), Siúin Wood – vice captain (YMCA), Zara Craig (Eglinton), Georgina Dempsey (YMCA), Rebecca Gough (The Hills), Abbi Harrison (Waringstown), Jennifer Jackson (Eglinton), Joanna Loughran (Leinster), Niamh MacNulty (Merrion), Aimee Maguire (The Hills), Kia McCartney (Coleraine), Ellie McGee (Rush), Julie McNally (Clontarf), Freya Sargent (Clontarf), Annabel Squires (Merrion)
Non-travelling reserves: Aoife Fisher (CSNI), Alice Walsh (Clontarf)
The coach and support staff that will travel to the tournament are:
Glenn Querl (Head Coach), Aideen McGuinness (Team Manager), Jay Shelat (Performance Analyst), Julia Webster (Physiotherapist), Robyn Lewis (Assistant Coach), Alison Cowan (Team Doctor)
The Tournament
The 16-team tournament will be held between 7 January and 24 January 2023 (it was originally scheduled for 2021, however the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the event twice).
The 16 teams are divided into groups of four as below:
Group A: Australia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and USA
Group B: England, Pakistan, Rwanda and Zimbabwe
Group C: Indonesia, Ireland, New Zealand and West Indies
Group D: India, Scotland, South Africa and the UAE
The top three teams from each group will progress to the Super Six round, where teams will be pooled in two groups of six. Group 1 will comprise the three teams each from Groups A and D, while Group 2 will have three teams each from Groups B and C. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals, which will both be played on 27 January. The final will take place at the same venue on 29 January.
Ireland Under-19 Women’s fixtures
Ireland will play two official warm-up matches:
9 January: Ireland Under-19s v Pakistan Under-19s (Tuks Oval, Pretoria)
11 January: Ireland Under-19s v Namibia Under-19s (Hammanskraal Cricket Club, Gauteng)
Ireland Under-19s Group Stage fixtures are:
15 January: Ireland Under-19s v West Indies Under-19s (North West University Oval, Potchefstroom)
17 January: Ireland Under-19s v New Zealand Under-19s (JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom)
19 January: Ireland Under-19s v Indonesia Under-19s (JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom)
The squad will depart on 1 January for a preparation camp at the University of Pretoria (during this week they will play unofficial warm-up fixtures against Zimbabwe and the UAE).

Historic Series win for Ireland Women in Pakistan
LAHORE, Pakistan – A commanding win over Pakistan in the final T20I in Lahore saw Ireland clinch a historic first T20I series victory over Pakistan, with a brilliant half-century from Gaby Lewis setting up the triumph.
Her opening partner Amy Hunter contributed 40 in a 110 run stand, falling just three runs short of an Irish record T20I partnership.
Ireland bowled Pakistan out for 133 after setting them 168, finishing their innings just four wickets down.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Amy Hunter and Lewis vindicated Laura Delany’s decision straight away, putting on a huge partnership of 110 for the first wicket.
Four boundaries off the first three overs signalled Ireland's intent right from the start, Lewis the main aggressor, bludgeoning a slog-sweep off Nida Dar over the rope for the first six of the match. She followed up with a four off the last ball of Dar’s over before smashing two more boundaries off the fourth.
Hunter took a back seat early in her innings to let Lewis occupy centre stage. After they smashed 56 runs from the powerplay, Lewis reached her fifty in style, reverse sweeping a full ball from Fatima Sana through third man for four, bringing up her ninth T20I half-century off 26 balls.
With the hundred up for Ireland in the 12th over, a big total looked on the cards. Hunter played a good supporting innings before she was bowled by Nashra Sandhu for a 35-ball 40, bringing Orla Prendergast to the crease with licence to swing. She attacked straight away, hitting a six off her second ball over long-on.
Lewis was well set, continuing to hit boundaries, and advancing past 70 before she was caught at mid-on by Aliya Riaz, unable to get enough height on the ball from Sana to clear the fielder. She finished her innings on 71 off 46 with 12 boundaries.
Despite the loss of Lewis and then of Eimear Richardson, Prendergast continued to push Ireland up towards 170. She crunched ten off the final over to set Pakistan 168 to win and send Ireland into the break full of confidence. Pakistan would have to pull off their highest-ever T20I chase to stop Ireland from claiming a historic win.
A tight start from the bowlers made it an even tougher task with Jane Maguire and Prendergast only conceding eight off the first two overs before Maguire made the breakthrough, dismissing Sidra Ameen in the third over.
Pakistan looked to take the chase deep, accumulating off the rest of the powerplay to take their total to 41. A big breakthrough for Ireland came in the seventh over, however, Arlene Kelly delivering a clever slower ball to outsmart Muneeba Ali.
With some nerves flying around for Ireland, the final two overs before the drinks break went for 25 as Pakistan continued to keep themselves in the run chase. Javeria Khan was the key, reaching fifty off 36 balls before Maguire took the crucial wicket to steady Irish hearts. Khan got an inside edge on a ball she was looking to cut, her stumps disturbed. The wicket brought the dangerous Dar to the crease, with Pakistan’s chase largely resting on her wicket.
A four and a six by Dar from Cara Murray showed the match was still very much in the balance with Pakistan needing another 80 runs from the last eight, a target possible with Bismah Maroof and Dar at the crease. But a run out from Richardson to dismiss Maroof opened the floodgates for Ireland, and a steady flow of wickets followed.
Two wickets in each of the last two overs from Kelly and Delany respectively, both finishing with three wickets apiece, sealed a comfortable win by 34 runs for Ireland and gave Ed Joyce’s side a historic series win. The first time Ireland women have won a series against Pakistan, their first series win overseas against a Test playing nation and the first for any Ireland side in Pakistan.
MATCH SUMMARY
Pakistan v Ireland, 3rd T20I, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 16 November 2022
Ireland 167-4 (20 overs; Gaby Lewis 71, Amy Hunter 40, Nida Dar 1-27)
Pakistan 133 (18.5 overs; Javeria Khan 50, Nida Dar 26, Arlene Kelly 3-19)

Men’s T20 World Cup: Ireland’s heroes bow out of World Cup, despite sensational Josh Little hat-trick
Australia - Josh Little claimed a historic T20 World Cup hat-trick, but Ireland slipped to a 35-run defeat against New Zealand to bring the curtain down on a memorable 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
With qualification for the semi-finals still mathematically possible but unlikely, Ireland came into the game, however, knowing that victory would virtually guarantee a top-four finish in the group – thereby gaining automatic qualification to the Super 12s of the next T20 World Cup.
After Andrew Balbirnie won the toss and elected to bowl, Ireland kept New Zealand to 185 in their 20 overs, with Little’s hat-trick the highlight of the innings.
Ireland began strongly, conceding just 16 runs from the first three overs. Finn Allen then struck five fours and a six off the next nine balls, before Mark Adair dismissed the explosive opener with the penultimate ball of powerplay, Fionn Hand catching a flat, powerful drive at mid-off.
Ireland’s bowlers mixed up their pace to limit New Zealand to under a run a ball from overs six to 10, restricting the Black Caps to 75-1 at the halfway stage. Devon Conway and Kane Williamson switched gears, hitting 15 runs from the 11th over, before a Gareth Delany googly – part of a plan to bowl wide outside off stump to the left hander – was swatted to Mark Adair at long-on.
Following scores of 104 and 62 in his past two games, it was no surprise that Glenn Phillips started quickly, blasting a second-ball six and hitting boundaries off consecutive deliveries soon after.
Phillips could only find George Dockrell at deep extra cover, when trying to hit the Delany out of the park, the Dubliner cannily slowing his pace and making Phillips reach for the ball. The New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, at this point on 26 from 19 balls, began to show his class, scoring 35 off his next 15 balls to give the Black Caps the impetus they wanted.
On 173-3 with two overs to go, the Black Caps were eyeing up 200, but Josh Little was having none of it. The left armer dismissed Williamson for 61 before combining pace, accuracy, and a hint of reverse swing to pin both Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Santner LBW and complete a moment that will live long in the memory.
The hat-trick was just the sixth in men’s T20 World Cup history, and the second for Ireland, with Curtis Campher having taken four in four in the 2021 tournament. Ireland is now the only men’s side to claim more than one T20 World Cup hat-trick.
With Adair ensuring New Zealand were unable to find the fence in the final over, Ireland would have felt firmly in the game, requiring 186 to win.
Balbirnie got the innings off to a perfect start, depositing a Trent Boult length ball for six in the first over, and while the remainder of the powerplay wasn’t explosive, Ireland would have been content to take the shine off the new ball and reach 39 without loss after six overs.
The pair then upped the ante, scoring 29 runs from the following two overs, with Paul Stirling reverse-sweeping four and smashing sixes off consecutive Mitchell Santner deliveries, before Balbirinie hit two sixes from Ish Sodhi’s first over.
New Zealand persevered with the spin of Santner and Sodhi, who dismissed Balbirnie, Stirling and Tector in a 14-ball period that turned the tide on the game.
Delany cut his first ball for four to get Ireland moving again, with another boundary coming in Santner’s next over, but he was soon dismissed by Lockie Ferguson, edging a leg-cutter to the keeper. Lorcan Tucker scored 13 before finding long-off off Sodhi while trying to keep up with the run rate and while Curtis Campher and George Dockrell hit three boundaries in the following overs, they soon fell in pursuit of quick runs.
Ferguson claimed two more wickets in the 17th over, but Ireland fought till the end, ultimately finishing 150-9. The match rounds off Ireland’s 2022 World Cup campaign, one which included three memorable wins and saw many of its young stars make their presence firmly felt on the world stage.
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland v New Zealand, T20 World Cup, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 4 November 2022
New Zealand 185-6 (20 overs; K Williamson 61, F Allen 32; J Little 3-22)
Ireland 150-9 (20 overs; P Stirling 37, A Balbirnie 30; L Ferguson 3-22)
New Zealand won by 35 runs

Ireland battled hard but ultimately fell to a 42-run loss to Australia in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup fixture at the Gabba in a blow to their semi-final hopes.
Ireland won the toss, elected to bowl and began well, keeping the runs down and dismissing David Warner early. The left-hander pulled Barry McCarthy’s first delivery firmly, but straight to fine leg where Mark Adair completed the catch. The first four overs contained just two boundaries, with Australia scoring at below a run a ball early on.
The T20 World Cup champions began to click through the gears, with Aaron Finch striking Australia’s first six, off Adair, before driving the same bowler through cover. Gareth Delany closed out the powerplay with a four-run over, but two sixes from Mitchell Marsh off Fionn Hand got the hosts moving again.
Ireland was able to hit back, and an intriguing battle unfolded through the middle overs. A boundary-less George Dockrell over was followed by McCarthy’s second wicket, Marsh nicking off. Twice in two balls Ireland thought they had the third, but two lbw reviews went against them. Glenn Maxwell was the twice-reprieved batter and responded with a drive down the ground for six, but Josh Little soon saw him off, a wide sucker ball enticing the Australian into the drive, and two more quiet overs followed.
With 13 overs bowled, Ireland had stuck to the task, keeping the run rate to a tick over seven an over while striking regularly. But the next three overs, costing 53 runs, changed the complexion of the contest. This despite McCarthy supplying arguably the highlight of the evening, a leaping grab and fling on the boundary saving four runs. He helped to limit the death-overs damage too, dismissing Finch, caught in the deep, with Dockrell and Little capitalising on the opening to sneak through two overs for seven runs.
The final over went for 17 as Australia finished with a flourish but chasing 180 to win did not look out of the question, and Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie began with the intent of two batters eyeing something special, each striking a six inside the first two overs. However, the latter’s dismissal, bowled by Pat Cummins as he shuffled across his stumps, began a stretch of five wickets in 13 balls that effectively decided the result. Maxwell and Mitchell Starc each broke through twice, the former having both Stirling and Harry Tector, playing his 50th T20I, caught in the infield and the latter seeking out the stumps to devastating effect.
Lorcan Tucker ensured there was something to cheer from an Irish point of view. He raced out of the blocks, hitting three of his first nine balls for four, before taking stock to move to 25 at a run a ball and then kicking on again.
Tucker received support from Delany, caught off Stoinis for 14, and Adair, who made a run a ball 11, but there was no doubt that he was the star. By the time he swung Josh Hazlewood away to reach a well-earned half-century, he had begun to toy with the bowlers. Tucker was particularly severe on Starc, scoring 37 off the 18 deliveries he faced off the left-armer, scooping and driving with impunity.
By the time he took 17 runs off the 17th over, leaving Ireland needing 44 to win off the last three, there was a flicker of hope of something remarkable transpiring. However, McCarthy pulled Cummins to deep midwicket and Little was run out to close out a 42-run reversal for Ireland.
The defeat leaves Ireland able to reach a maximum of five points, a mark already achieved by Australia and New Zealand. Therefore, if Ireland are to qualify for the semi-final stage, they need to win their final game against the Black Caps, hope other results go their way, and rely on net run rate.
Their Super 12 campaign will conclude on Friday 4 November against New Zealand.
MATCH SUMMARY
Australia v Ireland, T20 World Cup, The Gabba, Brisbane, 31 October 2022
Australia 179-5 (20 overs; A Finch 63, M Stoinis 35; B McCarthy 3-29)
Ireland 137 (18.1 overs; L Tucker 71*, G Delany 14; G Maxwell 2-14)
Australia won by 42 runs

FAMOUS VICTORY
Ireland secured a famous five-run (DLS) win over England, with a fifty from captain Andrew Balbirnie and an excellent team bowling performance boosting their T20 World Cup hopes.
After Balbirnie’s half-century boosted Ireland to 157, the seamers gave Ireland the perfect start in their defence, striking three times in the powerplay. From there, Ireland contained England, striking twice more and withstanding a Moeen Ali flurry to keep their noses in front when the rain returned.
Josh Little gave Ireland the perfect start, nicking off Jos Buttler with his second ball and removing Alex Hales, top-edging to short fine leg, soon after. England’s regrouping attempts were undone by a beauty from Fionn Hand, playing his first game of Ireland’s T20 World Cup campaign. He sneaked his second delivery back through Ben Stokes’ bat-pad gap to rattle the stumps.
Ireland continued to restrict England - the first 11 overs contained just three boundaries - and the dismissal of Harry Brook, caught by Gareth Delany off George Dockrell after two drops earlier in the over, put them even more on top. Dawid Malan and Moeen struck a pair of boundaries as England hit back, before McCarthy removed Malan to edge Ireland ahead again.
From there, Moeen was competing against not just Ireland, but the incoming, inclement weather. He slashed McCarthy for four and pumped Delany for six and four, but it was too late. The rain fell with England five runs behind the DLS par score. Victory, deservedly, was Ireland’s.
Earlier, Ireland had posted 157, with Balbirnie’s 62 the standout knock, and sterling support coming from Lorcan Tucker, who put on 82 with his captain. While Ireland endured a slide towards the end of their innings, the strong platform laid by the pair ensured they had a total to defend.
With rain delaying and then interrupting proceedings, Paul Stirling fell early after giving Ireland a fast start. He used the pace of Mark Wood to slice the England quick for a six that just evaded Sam Curran at third man, but was caught in the same position attempting to repeat the trick. Tucker ensured there was no loss of momentum, scooping Chris Woakes for four before thrashing him to the point boundary.
The pair continued to motor, with perhaps the shot of the day capping off the powerplay, Tucker driving Sam Curran sweetly back down the ground for six. With the fielding restrictions lessened, Ireland took stock, only one boundary coming in the next three overs. But when Woakes was reintroduced, Balbirnie pounced. The right-armer took advantage of some leg-side bowling to tickle and pull a four and a six, with an advancing blow bringing another boundary.
At 92-1 at the halfway stage, Ireland might have been dreaming of pushing up towards 200, but they were pegged back in unfortunate fashion, a Balbirnie straight drive catching Adil Rashid’s finger on the way through to the stumps and catching Tucker out of his ground. Two balls later, Wood cranked the pace up to 153kph to nick off Harry Tector for a duck.
Curtis Campher joined Balbirnie for a brief riposte, carving his first legal delivery for four and scooping Livingstone effectively, with the captain nailing a pull shot off Curran for six in between. But from 132-3, a late-order slide saw Ireland bowled out for 157 with four balls unused.
Livingstone began the fightback with two wickets in two balls, Balbirnie holing out and Dockrell yorked. Campher bravely scooped Wood but managed only faint contact with an attempted pull next ball, with Buttler completing the catch. Delany sliced Wood for four, but that was the last boundary Ireland managed. Livingstone struck again, Mark Adair holing out, with Curran striking twice, and Stokes dismissing Little to end the innings.
A total just under 160 was less than Ireland might have managed at one point, but still appeared defendable. It ended up being just enough in a famous win.
Ireland now has one win and one defeat from two T20 World Cup Super 12 games. Their next game is against Afghanistan on Friday.
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland v England, Game 20, T20 World Cup, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, 26 October 2022
Ireland 157 (19.2 overs; A Balbirnie 62, L Tucker, 34; L Livingstone 3-17)
England 105-5 (14.3 overs; D Malan 35, M Ali 24*; J Little 2-16)
Ireland won by five runs (D/L method)

I’ve been an Irish cricket fan my whole life and have followed literally every single international match in the past 40 years, albeit mostly online. That’s now 3 wonderful wins over England that I never thought I’d witness!
I’d like to congratulate the players who have really made the most of their talents and the coaches who have instilled so much self-belief that, remarkably (and it is truly remarkable considering our playing numbers and the fact that nearly all players are home-grown), we are able to compete occasionally with the best teams in the world. Every such win is to be savoured, including ones against the likes of Afghanistan and Bangladesh with their huge playing numbers.
And I’d like to pay tribute too to all those believers in Irish cricket, the ones who, back in the day, had a vision and made it happen. I recall a conversation with Robin Walsh in a Manchester bar in 1999. I am sure I laughed (and thought the drink was talking) when he predicted that Ireland would soon be playing ODI cricket and even participating in World Cups. He had spoken to people like Ricky Ponting who was behind the idea. Yeah, yeah, I thought. But he was right. It may have been a long-shot but Robin and a few others had spotted an opening and went for it. I’ll be forever grateful.
Peter Whitten
Cliftonville Academy CC

Super 12s stage matches:
23 October: Ireland v Sri Lanka (Hobart; starts 3pm)
26 October: Ireland v England (Melbourne; starts 3pm)
28 October: Ireland v Afghanistan (Melbourne; starts 3pm)
31 October: Ireland v Australia (Brisbane; starts 6pm)
4 November: Ireland v New Zealand (Adelaide; starts 2.30pm)
* All times are local to venue (nb: need to allow for different time zones in Australia)
For the full tournament schedule, see: https://www.t20worldcup.com/fixtures
Broadcast
Broadcast details for:
Ireland/UK – Sky Sports

RESOUNDING WIN BY IRELAND
Ireland secured their passage to the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup with a consummate all-round team display, emerging victorious by nine wickets with 15 balls to spare against West Indies.
The game was a virtual knockout, with every team in Group B on two points heading into the final day of fixtures. West Indies won the toss and elected to bat.
Ireland began strongly, conceding one boundary, 11 runs, and taking the wicket of Kyle Mayers in the first three overs. Barry McCarthy made the early breakthrough, the pressure telling as the West Indies opener skewed the ball in the air to mid-off.
The fourth over, bowled by Curtis Campher, changed the momentum somewhat, Johnson Charles notching 14 runs in three balls, but Simi Singh soon saw him off, with Campher taking the catch at backward point.
Ireland continued to keep things tight, with the run rate hovering around seven runs per over for much of the innings. Brandon King was the only West Indies batter to make it to 25 as Ireland struck regularly, and King was still kept quiet through the innings.
Ireland’s spin pair of Singh and Gareth Delany combined to restrict West Indies through the middle overs, with the latter reaping the rewards of the pressure built. He enticed all of Evin Lewis, Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell to hole out into the deep, with his final over, costing just a single, capping off career-best figures of 3-16.
West Indies received a late flourish from the blades of King and Odean Smith, who hit three sixes between them in the final three overs. However, having conceded totals in excess of 170 in the first two games of the tournament, keeping West Indies to 146-5 marked a significant improvement for Ireland.
Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie quickly set about breaking the back of the chase. The captain was the aggressor, getting off the mark with a superbly timed sweep for six over deep backward square, and continuing to express himself with four, six and four off three consecutive Smith balls. A scythe over cover point off Obed McCoy for six in the following over was arguably the shot of the day.
Stirling was not to be outdone, slashing and sweeping a pair of fours of his own, pulling an Alzarri Joseph slower ball for six, and closing out the powerplay with consecutive boundaries off the same bowler. At the end of the first six overs, Ireland had scored 64-0 - the highest powerplay score of the tournament so far - with the required run rate under a run a ball.
The bulk of the work had been done, and Ireland showcased all their game management skills to see through to the target without fuss. Balbirnie fell for a 23-ball 37, cutting Kyle Mayers to point, but Lorcan Tucker’s sweetly struck second-ball sweep for four eased any nerves.
The only hint of drama was a reprieve for Tucker, who was caught off Smith only for replays to reveal the bowler had overstepped. That moment came two balls after Stirling brought up his half-century, and, fittingly, he saw Ireland home, in the process becoming Ireland’s leading men’s T20 World Cup run-scorer.
Tucker swung away a pair of sixes, one slog-swept and one high and handsome over long-on, and it was he who hit the winning runs, flaying through cover to cap off a special performance.
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland v West Indies, Game 11, T20 World Cup, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 21 October 2022
West Indies 146-5 (20 overs; B King 62*, J Charles 24; G Delany 3-16)
Ireland 150-1 (17.3 overs; P Stirling 66*, L Tucker 45*; A Hosein 1-35)
Ireland won by nine wickets with 15 balls remaining

Men’s T20 World Cup: Curtis Campher, George Dockrell combine to lead Ireland to dramatic victory
A special century partnership between George Dockrell and Curtis Campher saw Ireland Men complete a stunning comeback against Scotland, keeping them firmly in the hunt for a place in the T20 World Cup Super 12s.
At the halfway point of their chase, Ireland’s T20 World Cup hopes were hanging by a thread. The required run rate was up past 11 runs per over, they had lost four wickets, and defeat would leave their progress to the Super 12 stage dependent on both other results and net run rate.
But Campher and Dockrell combined to put on a stand for the ages, scripting another entry in the ever-expanding volume of great ‘Irish World Cup moments’. The pair put on an unbroken stand of 119, their partnership replete with inventive shots, classical strokeplay, and hard running aplenty. They struck 11 fours, three sixes, and faced just seven dot balls between them. Victory was completed with an over to spare.
Campher played the dominant hand, but it was Dockrell who kickstarted the recovery, driving Brad Wheal square before heaving Chris Greaves onto the Bellerive Oval banks. When a slog-swept six, four wides and some hard running secured 17 off the next over, bowled by Mark Watt, Ireland began to believe. From there, there was no stopping them.
The milestones began to tick up as the equation eased. Campher scooped Michael Leask for four and swung Wheal for six. The fifty stand came up. The boundaries continued to flow. Campher’s maiden T20I fifty arrived. In a flash, the target was at a run a ball. In another, with three hits to the fence in three balls from Campher’s blade, it was over.
The stand was Ireland’s biggest at a T20 World Cup, and the joint-highest by any side for the fifth wicket at the tournament.
The first three-quarters of the game had seen Scotland build an advantage that was whisked away in an instant, and Ireland had Campher to thank again that the Saltires weren’t further in front. As against Zimbabwe, Ireland struck early, with Mark Adair pinning George Munsey in front, the not out decision overturned on review.
And as against Zimbabwe, a score in excess of 80 helped put on a big total. Michael Jones, playing his third T20I, extended his maiden half-century to 86, receiving support from Matthew Cross, Richie Berrington, and Leask.
Campher’s two overs saw him take two wickets and concede just nine runs, accounting for Cross and Berrington with a pair of slower balls, but some dropped catches, half-chances, and an overturned decision after Simi Singh seemingly had Jones lbw counted against Ireland.
In reply, regular wickets dented Ireland’s hopes. Andrew Balbirnie struck a pair of sweet boundaries but was the first to go, seen off by a low catch at point. Paul Stirling was victim of another review, UltraEdge revealing a thin spike off the toe-end. Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector attempted a rebuild, but when each fell in successive overs, Ireland was sinking. Then Dockrell and Campher provided the perfect recovery act.
Ireland’s First Round schedule will conclude against West Indies on Friday.
MATCH SUMMARY
Scotland v Ireland, Game 7, T20 World Cup, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 19 October 2022
Scotland 176-5 (20 overs; M Jones 86, R Berrington 37; C Campher 2-9)
Ireland 180-4 (19 overs; C Campher 72*, G Dockrell 39*; M Leask 1-16)
Ireland won by six wickets with six balls remaining

Men’s T20 World Cup: Ireland succumb to Zimbabwe in tournament opener
Ireland Men succumbed to Zimbabwe by 31 runs in the opening game of their T20 World Cup campaign, with Sikander Raza’s 82 the difference between the sides.
The start of the game was delayed by over an hour due to rain during the earlier Scotland-West Indies clash, with both fixtures staged at the same venue. Andrew Balbirnie won the toss, chose to bowl, and was rewarded instantly: Josh Little struck with his second ball, a short-of-a-length delivery ducking inwards and catching Regis Chakabva’s thumb on its way to the keeper.
It was Little, the pick of Ireland’s bowlers, who struck next as well, re-introduced for the fifth over and this time needing six balls to force an in-road. Wessly Madhevere, after a lively cameo, attempted to pull a short ball, but could only pick out Gareth Delany - playing his 50th T20I - on the rope.
When Simi Singh - also bringing up a half-century of T20I caps - broke through again in the next over, skidding the ball past the advancing Craig Ervine for Lorcan Tucker to complete the stumping, Ireland were well on top. But the entrance of Raza changed the complexion of the contest, with the Zimbabwean all-rounder showing why he is one of the form batters in world cricket.
He played the dominant hand in a pair of middle-order partnerships to help Zimbabwe recover from 37-3 to 137-4, with Luke Jongwe then adding a late flourish. Two sixes in Curtis Campher’s second over signalled Raza’s intent, with Sean Williams falling within inches of replicating the feat in the following over. Instead, Singh won out, enticing the Zimbabwean into a second consecutive slog sweep, with a top-edge swirling into the leg-side. Mark Adair, fielding in the deep, had plenty of work to do, but managed to take the catch and lob the ball back inside the field of play to Harry Tector, who completed the formalities.
Little returned to keep things quiet in the following over, but Raza was soon on the attack again, hitting Adair for 10 runs in two balls in an over which also included a missed run-out chance. Another six and four followed in the next over, bowled by Delany, and Raza had raced to a 26-ball fifty.
After another big over, and another Raza six, Zimbabwe were 125-4 with 36 balls to come, and looking to push on towards 190. Instead, Ireland responded well, building pressure and reaping the rewards. Three boundary-less overs followed, with Milton Shumba falling in the second of those as he attempted to break the shackles. He went down on one knee to attempt to hoist Adair over square leg, but only succeeded in offering a catch to Little at short fine leg.
When Little claimed his third, Ryan Burl holing out to long-on on the first ball of his final over, Ireland might have hoped to run through the lower order. Instead, Jongwe’s sparky knock pushed Zimbabwe up to 174-7, with his 10-ball 20 containing three fours. Raza eventually fell, bowled by Adair to close out the innings, with his 82 the highest score for Zimbabwe in a T20 World Cup.
Ireland’s reply got off to a rocky start, with Richard Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani each taking two early wickets. Paul Stirling chopped the former on to his stumps second ball, with Tucker bowled in Ngarava’s second over. Muzarabani then nicked off both Balbirnie and Tector, each caught by Ervine at slip, and Ireland were four down inside four overs.
From there, Ireland was faced with balancing the twin tasks of net run rate preservation and attempting an unlikely chase. George Dockrell and Campher helped rebuild, taking the score to 64-4 at the end of the ninth. Dockrell slashed two fours through third man while also whipping a boundary through square leg, with Campher running hard and sweeping to the rope through Muzarabani at short fine leg.
Raza continued his excellent day with the wicket of Dockrell, yorking the right-hander with his second ball, and Zimbabwe continued to make regular breakthroughs. Campher was bowled behind his legs by Williams attempting a sweep, Tendai Chatara claimed two in two, Delany holing out and Singh bowled, and Adair was caught by Raza off Muzarabani.
Barry McCarthy gave Ireland fans something to cheer late on, clubbing two slower balls, from Chatara and Muzarabani, into the Bellerive Oval stands, and driving Ngarava sweetly down the ground. His hitting, and a sumptuous last-over boundary from Little at No.11, reduced the eventual margin of victory to 31 runs.
Ireland’s next T20 World Cup game will be played against Scotland on Wednesday 19 October.
MATCH SUMMARY
Zimbabwe v Ireland, Game 4, T20 World Cup, Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 17 October 2022
Zimbabwe 174-7 (20 overs; S Raza 82, W Madhevere 22; J Little 3-24)
Ireland 143-9 (20 overs; C Campher 27, G Dockrell 24, G Delany 24; B Muzarabani 3-23)
Zimbabwe won by 31 runs

ICC MEN’S T20 WORLD CUP 2022
Fixtures
First Round matches:
17 October: Ireland v Zimbabwe (T20 World Cup Round 1; Hobart; start time 7pm)
19 October: Ireland v Scotland (T20 World Cup Round 1; Hobart; start time 3pm)
21 October: Ireland v West Indies (T20 World Cup Round 1; Hobart; start time 3pm)
* All times are local to venue
For the full tournament schedule, see: https://www.t20worldcup.com/fixtures
Broadcast
Broadcast details for Ireland/UK as they stand are:
17 October: Ireland v Zimbabwe – Sky Sports Cricket
19 October: Ireland v Scotland – Sky Sports Cricket
21 October: Ireland v West Indies – Sky Sports Main Event
Ireland Men’s squad
Andrew Balbirnie (captain), Paul Stirling (vice-captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Conor Olphert, Simi Singh, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker.
CRICKET IRELAND’S SUPPORT COVERAGE
Craig Easdown, Cricket Ireland’s Media & Communications Manager, will be with the squad for the duration of Ireland’s tournament involvement.
Email: craig.easdown@cricketireland.ie
Mobile: +353 (0)85 804 7696
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RESOURCES and LINKS
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Cricket-specific websites:
International Cricket Council: www.icc-cricket.com
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ESPN Cricinfo: www.espncricinfo.com – a great stats engine for the international game
Podcast:
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Afternoon all

The Ulster Grasshoppers CC are intending to tour La Manga in a 20/20 pre season tournament 30th March - 3rd April 2023.

The package for the event is as follows:

4 nights twin share B&B 4* hotel 15 mins from the ground.
3 days of cricket including net access - minimum of 4 games .
x3 return trips from hotel to ground as a team.
Sunday night presentation dinner.

Price based ay £315 per player / £265 per non player.

Flights will be approx £250pp.

If you are interested please contact either myself or Andy Beattie.

richard@finlaygrahamproperty.com
andrew.beattie1980@hotmail.com

Cheers

Ricky Finlay