Twitter Reactions: Disciplined Ireland land knockout punch to two-time champions West Indies

Paul Stirling remained unbeaten on 66 off 48 balls with six fours and two sixes in his match-winning innings.

By Manoj Kumar

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West Indies vs Ireland
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West Indies vs Ireland. (Photo Source: Steve Bell - ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

Ireland have caused a massive upset in the T20 World Cup 2022 first-round fixture against West Indies and the two-time champions will not be part of the Super 12 stage. Gareth Delany proved to be the star with the ball for Ireland while Paul Stirling stepped up with the bat in an important match.  

Earlier in the game, West Indies opted to bat first after winning the toss and Kyle Mayers' poor tournament continued as he fell for just one run. Johnson Charles played a quick cameo of 18-ball 24 until Simi Singh got the better of him and West Indies needed some stitching work to be done. Brandon King and Evin Lewis’ partnership of 44 runs did give some impetus, however, Delany’s outstanding spell of leg spin bowling changed things around. 

Gareth Delany's three-wicket haul halts scoring rate for West Indies

Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell could not make much of a difference and were caught in the boundary lines going for the maximum. King played a fantastic hand from the other end and he was the only batter who looked in good rhythm throughout his innings as he reached a magnificent half-century. With some lusty hits from Odean Smith at the back end of the innings, West Indies finished with 146 for 5 in their 20 overs.  

In reply, the Ireland openers were off to a blistering start and got off the blocks at a rapid rate. The powerplay proved to be more than just productive for Ireland and skipper Andrew Balbirnie alongside Paul Stirling looked unstoppable at the crease. With three sixes and three fours, Balbirnie's 23-ball 37 came to an end in the eighth over but the damage was already done.  

Stirling continued on from where Balbirnie left off and reached a stunning half-century in quick time which brought down the required run rate. Lorcan Tucker had the freedom to get himself in and he played his shots once he was set. In the end, Ireland chased down the target in 17.3 overs with nine wickets in hand and have made it to the Super 12 stage for the second time in their T20 World Cup history. 

Here's how Twitter reacted to Ireland's win

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