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A stirring win from the Irish. Their excellent batting got them home, bucking the trend of teams batting first winning easily so far this tournament.
Stirling won the Man of the Match award for his 92 off 84, but Joyce’s 84 off 67 and Niall O’Brien’s 79 off 60 were essential knocks.
There were definite nerves towards the end but two partnerships around the 100 mark before their third wicket fell meant they were never in real danger. They were sublime at playing the short ball and both inventive and conventional when the situation called for it.
Some soul-searching to be done for the West Indies after the match. They had a lot of energy and gusto early in their fielding innings but it quickly turned to a forlorn, downtrodden set of figures. Taylor took three wickets but was far too expensive. Holder and Gayle managed to keep it relatively tight but it wasn’t enough with runs leaking left and right around them.
Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy can hold their heads high after fantastic performances with the bat – Sammy especially showed a lot of heart to continue on and even send down a few overs with what seemed like a very uncomfortable injury. The form of Chris Gayle with the bat is a big worry.
Ireland might want to change up their bowling a bit – the spinners were very effective but their pace attack left a bit to be desired. Despite all the talk of spinners not being as important in this tournament Dockrell and McBrine made a big difference. They’ll be proud but won’t celebrate too heavily, they have a lot to prove.
Jason Holder: “Those two (Simmons and Sammy) put on a great partnership. We’ve always leaked runs at the front and pulled it back in the middle, but we couldn’t pull it back in the middle today. We need to be more precise when we set fields, we leak too many boundaries through the middle”
William Porterfield: “It’s obviously fantastic. It sets us up nicely for the next few games. We know what we’re capable. We knew we could win this game – and not just this game, but all the games in the competition. We thought 300 was probably about par, we knew it was well within grasp. We can most definitely (qualify beyond the group stages). We’ll obviously look at (changing the bowling line-up) so we can keep improving”
The West Indies open their 2015 Cricket World Cup campaign against Ireland in Nelson, New Zealand. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 9:00am (AEDT).
All the big guns were out on the opening weekend and now Game 5 brings the first clash of a Test-playing nation versus a non-Test-playing nation.
WATCH THE LATEST WORLD CUP HIGHLIGHTS
Despite the divide in cricketing history (and former glory) this match offers up an opportunity for the first major upset of the tournament.
Since playing in their first ODI World Cup eight years ago, Ireland have forged a reputation as one of the best non-Test nations.
The West Indies on the other hand have fallen on hard times in recent years and will look at this game as their best opportunity to claim a big scalp.
However we can not ignore the sheer batting power that the West Indies possess. If their big hitters, spearheaded by Chris Gayle, can get going today, they could easily bat Ireland out of the match.
Today’s pitch is reported to have a light covering of grass, however it is expected to play well for batsmen and should promote some strong strokeplay.
The forecast for Nelson is high to mid 20s, which should make for ideal conditions for both players and spectators.
Will we see the first big upset of the 2015 World Cup, or will the West Indies start their campaign on the right foot and walk over Ireland?
Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 9:00am (AEDT). If you are following the action live, be sure to share you thoughts on the match in the comments below.
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