Windies lose to Irish on Bravo return

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (CMC):

Veteran Dwayne Bravo’s return following a three-and-a-half-year sojourn on the sidelines ended in disappointment as a feisty Ireland stunned Windies by four runs in the opening Twenty20 (T20) International here yesterday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

In fact, the 36-year-old all-rounder was one of two wickets to fall in a dramatic final over bowled by 20-year-old left-arm slow medium Josh Little as Windies, chasing a demanding target of 209, failed to gather the 13 runs required off the last six balls of the contest at the Grenada National Stadium.

Left-hander Sherfane Rutherford, who struck 26 off 13 balls, holed out to long on off the first ball in search of his fourth six, but Bravo then clobbered the next delivery over the ropes at wide long on to reduce the target to seven runs from four balls.

A couple of down the ground off the third ball meant the Windies were in the driver’s seat, needing five runs from three balls, but Bravo turned down a leg bye off the fourth ball before picking out Gareth Delany in the deep on the leg side.

With five needed from the final delivery of the game, Hayden Walsh Jr missed a desperate swing, leaving the Irish to celebrate their first win of the tour in the wake of their 3-0 whitewash in the preceding one-day series.

SCOREBOARD

IRELAND

P Stirling c Lewis b Walsh 95

K O’Brien b Bravo 48

*A Balbirnie c Williams b Pierre 7

G Delany b Bravo 19

H Tector c Bravo b Pierre 2

+G Wilson b Cottrell 17

G Dockrell not out 5

Simi Singh c Lewis b Cottrell 0

Extras (b1, lb2, w10, nb2) 15

TOTAL (7 wkts, 20 overs) 208

Did not bat: B McCarthy, J Little, C Young.

Fall of wickets: 1-154 (O’Brien), 2-156 (Stirling), 3-162 (Balbirnie), 4-164 (Tector), 5-199 (Delany), 6-208 (Wilson), 7-208 (Simi Singh)

Bowling: Cottrell 4-0-37-2 (w1), Pierre 3-0-45-2 (w2), Williams 3-0-48-0 (w1, nb1), Bravo 4-0-28-2 (w1), Walsh 4-0-25-1 (w1), Pollard 2-0-22-0 (w1, nb1)

WINDIES

L Simmons c Dockrell b Little 22

E Lewis c Tector b Young 53

S Hetmyer c Balbirnie b Dockrell 28

*K Pollard c Dockrell b Simi Singh 31

+N Pooran c Delany b Young 26

S Rutherford c Dockrell b Little 26

D Bravo c Delany b Little 9

H Walsh not out 0

K Pierre not out 0

Extras (lb2, w7) 9

TOTAL (7 wkts, 20 overs) 204

Did not bat: K Williams, S Cottrell.

Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Simmons), 2-93 (Lewis), 3-114 (Hetmyer), 4-150 (Pollard), 5-194 (Pooran), 6-196 (Rutherford), 7-204 (Bravo)

Bowling: Simi Singh 4-0-36-1 (w1), McCarthy 4-0-55-0 (w2), Little 4-0-29-3, Young 4-0-31-2, Dockrell 4-0-51-1 (w3).

Result: Ireland won by four runs.

Series: Ireland lead three-match series 1-0.

Man-of-the-Match: Paul Stirling.

Toss: Ireland.

Umpires: Patrick Gustard, Gregory Brathwaite; TV – Jacqueline Williams.