A rain-interrupted match against Australia in Belfast has shown there plenty to be excited about in Irish cricket.
Australia won the toss and chose to bat first, on a pitch that looked like it had something for both the batsmen and bowlers.
Australia’s openers got off to a flyer, putting on a 139-run partnership before the loss of the first wicket
Joe Burns eventually got out for 69 after a top-edge off a ball from Craig Young went high and drifted down to behind square leg, caught comfortably by keeper O’Brien.
Warner fell next for 84, caught at deep square leg by Ed Joyce off Tim Murtagh’s bowling. At this point Australia was 2/165 from 27.4 overs.
Bailey fell on one, the ball from Murtagh moving off the seam and clipping the inside edge and going on to hit the top of the stumps.
Maxwell also fell cheaply, caught behind for two after he edged the ball from Andy McBrine to the keeper.
The loss of wickets slowed the run rate fairly well, with Australia 4/170 in the 31st over.
Play was stopped in the 34th over due to rain, resuming after about 15 minutes, at the expense of one over, bringing the total to 46 overs in each innings.
Steve Smith got out for 21 in the 36th over, keeper O’Brien taking a screamer off Stuart Thompson, diving to his right at catching it just centimetres off the ground.
Marsh fell for 11, going for the boundary but not having the distance, caught at long off by Murtagh from Mooney’s bowling.
Another rain delay halted play in the 41st over, which ended up completing Australia’s innings at 6/222.
After just under two hours, play resumed, with Ireland having to score 195 to win from 27 overs after the Duckworth-Lewis revision was calculated.
Starc got a wicket in the first over of the innings, a vicious in-swinging yorker taking out captain William Porterfield’s stumps.
Coulter-Nile got an early wicket as well, making the other opener, Paul Stirling, edge the ball to Wade behind the stumps, out for a duck.
Play was again called off, with Ireland at 2/27 from 6.2 overs.
Play was resumed after 15 minutes, with three overs lost to the rain, and the total to win revised down to 181 off 24 overs.
Ed Joyce and keeper Niall O’Brien went after the bowlers once play resumed, pushing the score out to 2/92 from 14 overs.
Ireland was in front at this stage, only needing 89 runs off the last ten overs.
Maxwell got the breakthrough in the 15th over, Ed Joyce looking to charge him, instead taking an air swing and getting bowled.
Ed Joyce made a quick-fire 44 from 33 balls.
Niall O’Brien fell in Maxwell’s next over, taking him on and singling out Joe Burns down at long-on, out for 45 from 53 balls.
Pat Cummins cashed in as well, Andrew Balbirnie taking on a short ball from Cummins, which went high but fell just short of the boundary rope, caught at deep backward square leg by Coulter-Nile.
Andrew Balbirnie made 12 from 12 balls.
With five overs to go, Ireland needed 46 from 30 balls.
Pat Cummins got another wicket in the 20th over, Gary Wilson getting cramped up and getting a little top-edge, Wade racing in to secure the ball, and sending Wilson back after putting one run to his name.
A second wicket fell in that over, with John Mooney getting run out for nought after he was sent back by Thompson.
Mitch Starc got his second wicket when Stuart Thompson took him on, only to nick it to Wade, ending his innings at 24 from 16 balls.
At the fall of Thompson, Ireland needed 26 from the remaining eight balls.
McBrine went all out on the first ball of the last over, though he holed out Cummins on the deep square leg boundary, out for seven from nine balls.
Coulter-Nile finished off Ireland in the final over, clean-bowling Craig Young, who got out for a duck.
Nathan Coulter-Nile was the pick of the Aussie bowlers, taking 3/13 off 4.4 overs.
Australia won the match by 23 runs, in what was an impressive performance from the men from the Emerald Isle.
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