- Ireland 259 all out; India 260-2; India win by eight wickets
- Mike Selvey: England humiliation means Peter Moores’ number could be up
That’s another excellent performance from India, who have been untouchable here so far. Five games, five wins, 50 wickets taken is an exceptional record (and you’d expect them to stetch that to six wins and 60 wickets against Zimbabwe in their final pool game). There’s no disgrace in this for Ireland, who found themselves up against a team that is simply much better than they are. Had they taken one of a couple of early dropped chances it might have been different, but surely not very different. And so to the big question:
@Simon_Burnton Simple question. Will India retain the world cup ? :D what dya think ?
William Porterfield, Ireland’s captain, speaks. “There’s a lot of good things to take. I think we could have got an extra 50-60, but every time we looked like kicking on we managed to lose a wicket. Ashwin bowled very well, mixed his pace well, and we lost a couple of wickets which slowed us down in that period. Everyone played with freedom, but we just lost wickets at crucial times.”
As for their next game, against Pakistan in Adelaide, which they must win to qualify for the quarter-finals: “We’ll get over there, have a rest and refresh again. We’ve put in a lot of yards in the last six to eight weeks, but it’s all about being mentally prepared. Win that game, we’re through to the quarter-finals.”
The player of the match is Shikhar Dhawan. “I’ve spent lots of time here and sorted out my game. I’m used to the bounce and the pace and really enjoying my game over here,” he says. “The boys have learned, have got experience, and all those experiences are being used. The captain’s message was just to keep doing the same thing, field with the same intensity, and that’s what we did. How would I rate my innings? I always give myself 10! I’d say I played more creatively, playing different shots, so I’d say that.”
Here’s how the match ended:
36.5 overs: India 260-2 (Kohli 44, Rahane 33)
The action ends with a Kohli cover drive, struck so fiercely it hits the rope before a fielder has moved. The India juggernaut keeps on a-rumbling.
36th over: India 254-2 (Kohli 39, Rahane 32)
Cusack’s first delivery flies across Kohli and (well) down the leg side, and by the last the match is all but done. Rahane works the ball to the third man boundary for four, and a single later Kohli goes to backward point for another. Add a few singles and India get 12 runs from the over, and now stand six short of their target, with 14 overs remaining.
35th over: India 242-2 (Kohli 33, Rahane 27)
After 34 overs and two deliveries Ireland appeal for a lbw for the first time today, and get so excited about it they launch an optimistic and unsuccessful review. A good over from Mooney is ruined when Rahane edges the final delivery to fine third man for four.
The ball was just too high, and would have missed the bails by an inch.
Ireland think so! The umpire’s not convinced!
34th over: India 236-2 (Kohli 32, Rahane 22)
Cusack gets the powerplay started, and after a couple of singles he gives Kohli way too much time and width, and the batsman works the ball to the boundary at deep backward point. India now need 24 runs, at exactly one and a half per over. Good news now for all readers with ears: the latest Guardian World Cup podcast is live, and you can find it here.
Related: Cricket World Cup podcast: joyless England's farce of a tournament
33rd over: India 228-2 (Kohli 26, Rahane 20)
In the middle of John Mooney’s over we see Kohli signalling to the balcony, clearly asking if it’s time for the powerplay, and at the end of the over he decides that it is. Before that there’s another lovely shot from Rahane, who drives through cover and bissects two deep fielders, who both sprint to stop the ball and both find themselves a yard and a half away from it when it hits the rope. Precisely three deliveries later, one wide and two dots, he does it again. If he had picked up the ball, walked to the boundary and tried to place it precisely where his first shot had finished, he couldn’t have got it any closer.
@simon_burnton Rahane or Kohli, whose batting do you like most? ;)
32nd over: India 218-2 (Kohli 26, Rahane 12)
As the sun sets over Hamilton (quite colourfully), so night continues to fall on Ireland’s chances today. Thompson concedes three singles from his first four balls and another from the last, and in between Rahane works the fifth to deep backward point, just out of the reach of a desperately diving fielder and into the rope.
31st over: India 210-2 (Kohli 24, Rahane 6)
Any nerves Rahane might have been feeling surely dissipate when he drives O’Brien’s penultimate delivery down the ground, just past the bowler’s desperate dive, for four. Lovely shot. He’s in business now. India need precisely 50 more runs at 2.6 runs an over.
30th over: India 203-2 (Kohli 21, Rahane 2)
Kohli had scored no runs at all after 10 deliveries, but has 21 after 23. Thompson’s first delivery flies straight back past him and off to the long-on boundary for four, then Kohli gets two more off the next and a single from the one after that. Rahane, still playing himself in (no hurry) plays out the rest of the over without scoring.
29th over: India 196-2 (Kohli 14, Rahane 2)
O’Brien continues, and India score in singles. Five of them. If Ireland are going to make this interesting, now’s the time.
28th over: India 191-2 (Kohli 11, Rahane 0)
Thompson bowls, and Kohli thumps his second delivery high over long-on for six, a shot that appeared almost insultingly easy. Still, the over improved from there,from Ireland’s perspective.
Dhawan tries to hit over midwicket, gets an outside edge and the ball flies high to cover, where Porterfield, running towards the boundary, takes a fine catch.
27th over: India 183-1 (Dhawan 100, Kohli 3)
Shikhar Dhawan tiptoes nervously towards his century, taking 10 deliveries to go from 97 to 100. OK, it wasn’t that long, but it felt like an eternity. Anyway, he’s there now.
26th over: India 178-1 (Dhawan 97, Kohli 1)
Thompson continues, and there’s a leg bye and a wide before Kohli finally gets off the mark from his 10th legal delivery.
25th over: India 175-1 (Dhawan 97, Kohli 0)
Dhawan takes a single off O’Brien’s second delivery and Kohli, who failed to score off the last four balls of over 24, fails to score off the last four balls of over 25 as well. Still, no hurry. India have 67.3% of their target already, and need 85 runs at 3.4 an over from here on in.
24th over: India 174-1 (Dhawan 96, Kohli 0)
Thompson’s first over was terrible and went for a wide-strewn 18. His second can only be an improvement and it emphatically is, yielding as it does only two runs, and bringing as it does Ireland’s first wicket.
The partnership is broken! And it broke itself, really, Sharma inside-edging into his stumps when trying to work the ball down to third man without really moving.
23rd over: India 172-0 (Rohit 62, Dhawan 96)
This is now India’s best ever World Cup opening stand, taken past the previous record by Dhawan, who flicks O’Brien’s first delivery to the fine leg boundary and, a couple of singles later, thumps the last to the midwicket boundary. Dhawan’s making life look wonderfully easy at the moment.
22nd over: India 162-0 (Rohit 61, Dhawan 87)
Dockrell bowls, and Dhawan tries to hit over the covers for six but it lands a couple of yards short of the rope, fortunately (if not coincidentally) not close enough to a fielder. The next delivery is sent way over long-on, and that does clear the rope. By a distance.
21st over: India 152-0 (Rohit 60, Dhawan 78)
Shot! Dhawan flicks Kevin O’Brien’s first delivery of the day off his hips and over the backward square eg boundary for six, taking India’s total to 150. “I am an Indian working for an Irish company,” writes Sohid Ahmed. “They had not heard much of cricket until they came to know Ireland is in the WC. Over the course of the WC they got hooked into cricket and this is the scene in our small office today. Probably more audience than the whole of Ireland!” Well to be fair most of Ireland is asleep.
20th over: India 144-0 (Rohit 59, Dhawan 71)
Dhawan hits Dockrell over midwicket - it didn’t look like a particularly clean strike, but there’s no fielder there and it might have just cleared him anyway. Six! This is now up to No3 in the rankings of India’s World Cup opening stands, nine away from No2 and 19 from No1.
19th over: India 134-0 (Rohit 56, Dhawan 64)
Sharma hoists Stirling’s sdecond delivery over the covers for six to bring up his own half-century and also take his side beyond halfway to their target.
18th over: India 125-0 (Rohit 48, Dhawan 63)
The players take drinks, after which Dhawan tries to scoop Cusack’s first delivery over Wilson, fails, and hits him on the head. The Irish wicketkeeper is wearing a helmet of course, and it’s just as well. After a couple of dots the next four go for singles. Whoever’s directing the TV coverage really likes showing us hot dogs. People holding hot dogs. People eating hot dogs. People cooking hot dogs. We’ve had it all today.
17th over: India 121-0 (Rohit 46, Dhawan 61)
What a relaxed run chase this is. Stirling’s first three deliveries yield singles, and then Dhawan takes a few steps down the pitch before hoisting the ball over long-on for a six that landed only a couple of rows from the back of the stand, which given that the stand doesn’t actually have much of a back would have sent it out of the ground. Then he paddles the next to fine leg for four more. Fifteen more runs would make this India’s best non-Tendulkar-assisted World Cup opening partnership.
16th over: India 107-0 (Rohit 44, Dhawan 49)
Cusack returns and India add three singles and a leg bye to their blossoming total. They are so far making very easy work of this particular challenge.
15th over: India 103-0 (Rohit 43, Dhawan 47)
Stirling continues, Rohit Sharma scores a single off the first and India have reached 100, making this their sixth century opening stand at World Cups. They’ve got a way to go, though, before they reach the top of that list - a stand of 163 against Kenya in 1996. Three further singles follow.
14th over: India 99-0 (Rohit 41, Dhawan 45)
Dhawan paddle-sweeps to the square leg boundary, and then the next ball heads just down the leg side, missing by a fraction Dhawan’s bat, his leg stump and Wilson’s gloves and running away to the rope. Then Dhawan works the ball to the boundary at point to take his side to the very verge of triple-figures.
13th over: India 86-0 (Rohit 40, Dhawan 37)
India score four singles from Stirling’s first five deliveries but just as I was typing that they had now endured three boundaryless overs Rohit sends the final ball scurrying past point and away to the rope.
12th over: India 78-0 (Rohit 38, Dhawan 31)
Only once since 2003 have India enjoyed a better opening partnership than this at World Cups. That was a Sehwag-Tendulkar 142 against South Africa four years ago in a match they went on to lose - the nine other World Cup matches in which they’ve started with a stand of 74 or more have all been won.
11th over: India 74-0 (Rohit 35, Dhawan 30)
More spin, from Paul Stirling, and this over yields just a single, snaffled by Sharma from the first ball.
10th over: India 73-0 (Rohit 34, Dhawan 30)
Ireland bring on the spin, in the shape of George Dockrell, and he’s welcomed by Rohit Sharma, who sends his first delivery to long-off for a couple, and his second way into the crowd sitting at midwicket.
@Simon_Burnton that Rhodes compilation is spectacular. The world's greatest specialist fielder
9th over: India 62-0 (Rohit 24, Dhawan 29)
Thompson bowls his first over of the day and indeed the competition, and it’s not one he’ll want to remember. It starts with a hint of away swing - too much of it, in the case of his first delivery, that starts wideish and ends just wide. Sharma takes a single and then Thompson bowls successive short deliveries into Dhawan’s body. The first is pulled over square leg for six, the second hoiked over midwicket for four. This is followed by a wide, a couple of dot balls, and then the widest wide of them all, which Wilson can’t collect and rolls away to the boundary. Eighteen runs from the over.
8th over: India 44-0 (Rohit 23, Dhawan 19)
Cusack’s first delivery goes through the covers for four, and his second past long-off for another, as the runs start to flow and fast for India (18 of them in four balls, in fact, at the end of the seventh over and the start of the eighth)
7th over: India 36-0 (Rohit 23, Dhawan 11)
Dhawan’s dropped again! He cuts the ball to backward point, where Porterfield does a fine Jonty Rhodes impression, diving diagonally upwards to get two hands to the ball, but he can’t keep it in his hands. It would have been a brilliant catch, but ‘twas not to be. A wide and a single later, Sharma drives through the covers for four and then over long-on for six.
6th over: India 23-0 (Rohit 12, Dhawan 10)
Rohit Sharma scurries a single off the first, and Dhawan defends a few and mistimes (yes) one, thus failing to add to the score.
5th over: India 22-0 (Rohit 11, Dhawan 10)
After a couple of singles Mooney’s over ends with a boundary, Dhawan working the ball through the covers, lovely timing.
4th over: India 16-0 (Rohit 10, Dhawan 5)
In four overs, five deliveries have gone for runs (plus there’s been a wide) and there have been 19 dots. Here Sharma pushes the fourth delivery past mid-on for a beautifully-timed four.
3rd over: India 12-0 (Rohit 6, Dhawan 5)
Mooney’s first delivery is a little short, and sent flying through midwicket by Dhawan for four. And then off the last he’s dropped by the bowler! Dhawan pushes the ball straight back to Mooney but it comes to him quickly, and right into his midriff, and he can’t get his hands sorted in time!
2nd over: India 8-0 (Rohit 6, Dhawan 1)
Cusack, who took four wickets and bowled superbly against Zimbabwe, does the honours in over two, and India settle quickly after offering momentary hopes of a run-out off the first ball, when Dhawan takes a few steps down the wicket, changes his mind and slips in turning round.
1st over: India 5-0 (Rohit 4, Dhawan 0)
John Mooney bowls, and Rohit Sharma takes a few balls to size him up (one of them a wide) before gently convincing the ball to head off to the cover point boundary.
@Simon_Burnton considering what a near hash India made of chasing WI's 182, 260 looks positively daunting!
The players are back out and preparing for action. Will India romp their way to the target, or have Ireland got enough? Time to find out!
Hello world!
So on the plus side, Ireland lasted fully 49 overs against India, more than anyone else in this World Cup so far, and scored 247 runs against them, by some way more than anyone else in this World Cup so far. On the down side, it still doesn’t seem like enough.
So India make it all 10 wickets in five matches from five. Ireland started brilliantly, but Niall O’Brien was the only man outside the openers to make a score. India’s spinners applied a stranglehold and made it easy to take wickets in the second half of the innings. Ireland are probably 40 short of where they should have been and 70 short of what they needed to have a chance against India on a good pitch.
Simon Burnton is up and ready to guide you through the chase. Email him at simon.burnton@theguardian.com. Night!
The penultimate over will be bowled by Shami. Cusack swings and gets a thick edge to wide third man for four. A few balls later he cuts back to the same region but it’s in the air and easily caught.
48th over: Ireland 253-9 (Cusack 6, Mooney 11) Mohit Sharma returns. If India can get the final wicket this will be the first time they’ve taken all 10 in five ODIs on the bounce. They’ve done very well to restrict Ireland’s run-rate since the 40th over to a shade under five through taking regular wickets. Five singles and a wide on height, this time around.
47th over: Ireland 247-9 (Cusack 3, Mooney 9) Incidentally this is the highest score against India in this tournament, so it’s not been that bad a performance. Ireland just got bogged down by Raina and Ashwin then started to throw wickets away. I’d recommend a thrash here, for the last wicket, because net run rate doesn’t matter. In fairness they’re having a swing, but can’t connect cleanly and just get the three singles, plus a wide.
46th over: Ireland 243-9 (Cusack 1, Mooney 8) Back comes Yadav, who has been poor today bowling three wicketless overs for 25 runs. Mooney hoicks him to mid-on for two and it’s only a fumble by Dhoni that means he avoids being run out. In any case, after a single Dockrell throws his wicket away. This has been a very disappointing collapse by Ireland. Cusack comes in at number 11 and gets a single, before Mooney pulls the final ball for four.
Dockrell advances down the track, has a wild mow and nicks it loudly behind.
45th over: Ireland 234-8 (Dockrell 6, Mooney 1) Shami again and Mooney opens his account with a dab down to third man. He then sends an outstanding vicious bouncer, the kind you’d associate more with 1970s Australians than Indian seamers, whistling past Dockrell’s neck. Poor technique from the tail-ender there, exposing the back of his neck to the ball.
44th over: Ireland 233-8 (Dockrell 6, Mooney 0) Jadeja to continue and he induces a leading edge from the new man Dockrell. I’m surprised Dhoni doesn’t have more close catchers in here. Anyhow, four dots on the spin then Dockrell sends an agricultural mow over long-on for six. Another dot to finish and it’s time to call Simon Burnton, who will probably be on duty sooner than expected, and rouse him from his slumber. Sorry Simon.
43rd over: Ireland 227-8 (Dockrell 0, Mooney 0) Shami comes on and with the first ball of the over takes the big wicket. This innings has absolutely flown by and now Ireland have two new batsmen at the crease having lost 4-20. A short ball goes down the leg-side for a wide. Mooney is then close to being run out setting off for a single that wasn’t there, and Thompson goes next ball anyway.
“The Kevin O’Brien stat is bit strange,” writes Matt Harris. “Obviously lots of not-outs in the second innings stats (10 of them, as opposed to 1 in first innings), which isn’t very surprising.
Oh Ireland. One ball after risking a run-out, Mooney calls his partner for one that wasn’t there, sells him down the river and sends him back far too late. Kohli’s throw from cover is a direct hit.
Another one goes, O’Brien clipping a full delivery straight to square leg.
42nd over: Ireland 226-6 (Thompson 2, N O’Brien 75) Jadeja has been expensive today, going at seven an over, but he gets the wicket of the last proper batsman and it’s all on Niall O’Brien now. In comes Thompson, with an average of 32.5 at 90 from seven matches. He sweeps for one to get off the mark. Ireland are looking at 270-odd and that won’t be enough.
Stat!
Kevin O'Brien - Batting 1st in ODIs: 1148 runs in 44 inns @ 26.69 Batting 2nd: 1153 runs in 37 inns @ 42.70 #CWC15pic.twitter.com/5ECuopHelm
Wilson goes to an obvious plan, toe-ending a sweep to short fine leg.
41st over: Ireland 222-5 (Wilson 6, N O’Brien 73) Into the final 10 overs and Yadav, who has eight overs remaining, comes on. He won’t bowl them all... obviously. Ireland need to crack on a bit here, because their seamers can’t keep this Indian lineup to less than 300. As I write that, O’Brien lofts a length ball straight back down the ground for six. A slower ball is run down to third man for one by O’Brien, then Wilson does the same.
40th over: Ireland 212-5 (Wilson 4, N O’Brien 65) Shami will take the final powerplay over and Kevin O’Brien gets off the mark with a single to third man but that’s the extent of his contribution. Wilson comes in and drives nicely through point, off the front foot for four from his first ball.
Ashwin, incidentally, finished with figures of 10-1-38-2; fine figures from a fine spell.
The batsman gets caught leaden-footed, pushes at the ball and gets a thin edge through to Dhoni!
39th over: Ireland 206-4 (K O’Brien 0, N O’Brien 64) I wonder if Dhoni has perhaps used Ashwin’s entire allocation too early? Balbirnie sweeps him hard for four first ball, then chips just over the bowler and the mid-on fielder for a couple more; great bit of boundary fielding there by Rahane. That’s the fifty partnership. The fourth ball is slog-swept from well outside off, over mid-on for four more by O’Brien. There’s an appeal for LBW, turned down, before Balbirnie goes to Ashwin’s final ball.
Ashwin takes the pace off it, Balbirnie sweeps and top edges to fine leg, where Shami takes an excellent running catch.
38th over: Ireland 194-3 (Balbirnie 17, N O’Brien 60) Shami drops O’Brien at deep mid-wicket. It was a rank long-hop from Jadeja, pulled away in the air and it goes straight through the fielder’s hands for six. A couple of balls later, Balbirnie top edges a sweep straight over Dhoni’s head for four. Scenes!
Ireland fans enjoying chanting "England's going home" #CWC15
37th over: Ireland 181-3 (Balbirnie 11, N O’Brien 53) Is Balbirnie out here? India think so as Raina catches him at leg-slip off the reverse sweep, but the ball has ballooned up off his forearm and that’s a pretty poor review. Still, it’s a great over from Ashwin once again - until the final ball, which O’Brien deposits into the stands at long-on to bring up his fifty.
36th over: Ireland 173-3 (Balbirnie 10, N O’Brien 46) Batting powerplay time and Jadeja is back on, which is a surprise. Just two from the over as the batsmen refuse all risks.
35th over: Ireland 171-3 (Balbirnie 9, N O’Brien 45) Raina will bowl the final over before the powerplay. Have we had a drinks break yet? We’re going to check for a run-out here as O’Brien scampers through for a quick single and there’s a direct hit at the non-striker’s end, but he’s home by miles.
34th over: Ireland 168-3 (Balbirnie 7, N O’Brien 44) Balbirnie gets his first boundary, picking Mohit’s slower ball and driving past Rohit, who misfields at cover. O’Brien gets his sixth a couple of balls later, pulling off the back-foot and over mid-wicket for four. Sourav Ganguly, on comms, still hasn’t realised that this isn’t Kevin O’Brien batting.
33rd over: Ireland 156-3 (Balbirnie 1, N O’Brien 39) Excellent sweep from O’Brien as Raina bowls too full and the batsman gets it round to fine-leg for four. The bowler follows this with a rank full-toss, which O’Brien misses out on. Four more as O’Brien pulls out the paddle with fine leg up.
32nd over: Ireland 146-3 (Balbirnie 0, N O’Brien 30) We return to seam and Mohit Sharma, and O’Brien slices an attempted lofted cover-drive wide of backward point for one, before Porterfield gets his big hit into the on-side all wrong. The in-form Balbirnie comes in at four. O’Brien stands tall and punches over cover for a single off the back foot.
The captain goes, looking to go big and getting a leading edge straight to mid-off.
31st over: Ireland 144-2 (Porterfield 67, N O’Brien 28) Raina very nearly slides his first ball through Porterfield’s defence from round the wicket, then does force the next one through as the batsman advances out his crease, only for Dhoni to fumble it and miss the stumping. A single, then O’Brien is struck on the pad looking to play the paddle sweep. Big appeal, but he was outside the line and hit the ball. Other than that etc.
30th over: Ireland 142-2 (Porterfield 66, N O’Brien 27) Ireland’s run-rate has nearly halved since the powerplay, but O’Brien looks to rectify that with a loft over mid-on that bounces just inside the rope and goes for four. Next ball he steps down the track and hammers it over extra-cover for four more. Ireland fancy Sharma’s bowling, it seems, and four more singles make 12 from the over and the fifty partnership.
29th over: Ireland 130-2 (Porterfield 64, N O’Brien 17) Porterfield shuffles on to the front foot and flays Raina’s first ball over extra-cover and between the two converging fielders for four. Five dots ensue.
28th over: Ireland 126-2 (Porterfield 60, N O’Brien 17) Sharma continues. This is just killing time, but that’s perfectly effective for India.
27th over: Ireland 122-2 (Porterfield 58, N O’Brien 15) A change of ends for Raina. A half-hearted appeal for LBW that was never going to be given is the only thing of note from his over. The incidental music on the PA, Boys of Summer, is brilliant though.
@DanLucas86"The two left-handers are in danger of getting bogged down here." Stuck, jammed up, in irons. Becalmed even. #jinxedit
26th over: Ireland 118-2 (Porterfield 56, N O’Brien 13) This time it’s an actual change of bowling as Rohit Sharma comes on for the first time in nine matches. You can see why he doesn’t bowl much as his first two balls are full, filthy and hammered away square on the leg-side for easy runs: two then one respectively.
25th over: Ireland 113-2 (Porterfield 52, N O’Brien 12) Kohli is announced as the new bowler, but that’s a load of nonsense: Ashwin carries on. We’ve only been playing an hour and a half and we’re already halfway through the innings, so quickly have the spinners got through their overs. O’Brien is just looking a touch more settled now... and as I write that he pushes and misses at one outside off.
24th over: Ireland 110-2 (Porterfield 50, N O’Brien 11) Today’s first spurious viewer’s question is “Who is India’s greatest World Cup captain: Dev, Ganguly or Dhoni?” You know they’ll contrive a way to make Sachin Tendulkar the winner. Porterfield pushes the final ball to long-off to move to a half-century.
23rd over: Ireland 105-2 (Porterfield 47, N O’Brien 9) An overthrow as Kohli misfields backing up brings two runs. Other than that it’s a masterclass in middle over bowling from Ashwin.
22nd over: Ireland 103-2 (Porterfield 47, N O’Brien 7) A slightly pressure-relieving but streaky-as-hell boundary to O’Brien as he edges wide of slip and down to third man for four. A rare misfield at point then gives him another one. That boundary also brings up the Ireland hundred, a lot slower than they’d have hoped around over 14.
21st over: Ireland 97-2 (Porterfield 46, N O’Brien 2) Ashwin races through another brilliant over, building the pressure on O’Brien. He has figures of 6-1-14-1.
20th over: Ireland 96-2 (Porterfield 45, N O’Brien 2) Three singles, all scored with the batsman backing away, exposing the stumps and pushing down the ground. The two left-handers are in danger of getting bogged down here.
19th over: Ireland 93-2 (Porterfield 43, N O’Brien 1) Raina is causing problems here. He sends down a couple of beauties in a row: the first takes the inside edge and goes just wide of leg-slip, then the second drifts in and turns away past the left-hander’s outside edge. Maiden.
18th over: Ireland 93-2 (Porterfield 43, N O’Brien 1) Joyce goes to the second ball and the spinners are threatening to ruin all of Ireland’s excellent early work. It’ll be interesting to see how Ireland’s nerves hold after those two wickets in quick succession.
Ireland struggling against spin and have frittered away excellent opening stand. Rarely seen such a poor shot from Joyce #CWC15
Joyce backs away to cut, the shot is never on and Raina’s straight one crashes into middle stump.
17th over: Ireland 92-1 (Porterfield 43, Joyce 2) India ramp up the pressure on Joyce, with a slip and leg-slip in place and Ashwin finds some turn to get it past the number three’s outside edge. Joyce, mindful of this, is using his feet to counter the spin. Again, two from the over.
16th over: Ireland 91-1 (Porterfield 43, Joyce 1) Bowler number six, then: Suresh Raina. He has a big shout for LBW against Porterfield, pinned on the back pad, but it’s going down leg. Just the two singles from that over.
15th over: Ireland 89-1 (Porterfield 42, Joyce 0) Lovely cricket all round this. Ashwin sends down his top-spinner on off stump, Stirling plays the perfect sweep perfectly square and the fielder slides around to save two runs with a one-handed stop. Less perfect from the final ball though as Stirling softly throws his wicket away to end a great opening partnership.
Stirling chips to long-off, against the spin and it’s an easy take for Rahane in the deep.
14th over: Ireland 85-0 (Porterfield 41, Stirling 39) Four runs as Jadeja is the first to blink, dropping short and Porterfield hammers the cut through point. He does the same to Stirling and the right-hander rocks back and pulls over mid-wicket for the 300th six of the tournament. Shot.
13th over: Ireland 73-0 (Porterfield 36, Stirling 32) This is a very steady war of attrition now. Ashwin is bowling very nicely, accurate, with flight and a touch of turn, while the batsmen are watchful and know exactly where the singles are.
12th over: Ireland 69-0 (Porterfield 34, Stirling 30) On another subject, as we’re into the boring early-middle overs now, Paul Downton apparently said earlier that he’s now realising that T20 is influencing one-day cricket. The man in charge of English cricket is just now realising that. Up next, he discovers hot new indie rockers U2 and their hit song Sunday Bloody Sunday. Five from the over.
11th over: Ireland 64-0 (Porterfield 33, Stirling 26) Double spin as Ashwin enters. There’s a chance of a run-out as Stirling looks for a second to mid-on that’s never there, but Sharma misses the stumps with his throw. Hit and it was gone, but he didn’t so Stirling isn’t.
“Do you think Ireland deserves full test status at this stage?” asks Frank Kennedy. Yep, absolutely. Test cricket’s exclusive closed network, which offers no one any realistic hope of breaking in, is pretty well disgusting as far as cricketing issues go. The ICC’s one responsibility is to make cricket better and they’re ensuring that as few people as possible can play the game.
10th over: Ireland 60-0 (Porterfield 30, Stirling 25) The final over of the first powerplay and Jadeja is on for Shami. He appeals for LBW against Porterfield first up as the batsman tries the reverse sweep and misses. It’s too high though. Three off the over, in the form of a two and a one, and that’s a perfect powerplay for Ireland.
@DanLucas86 becalmed? Serene, at home, certain of themselves, confident. Not stuck waiting for a wind.
9th over: Ireland 57-0 (Porterfield 27, Stirling 25) Aww. A perfectly respectable ball from Sharma is chipped to long-off by Stirling and goes over the rope with just the one bounce. That. Was. Glorious. It’s the only scoring shot from the over, but that was worth it on aesthetics alone.
8th over: Ireland 53-0 (Porterfield 27, Stirling 21) Porterfield flicks a single square of the wicket on the on-side, before Stirling goes up and over cover point for four when Shami sends down a rank long-hop. Not great timing, but that rope is only 51m away. Another single to third man and these two look utterly becalmed, unlike a certain shower we watched yesterday.
7th over: Ireland 47-0 (Porterfield 26, Stirling 16) Sharma comes round the wicket now to the left-hander and Porterfield gets a bit of a leading edge, which lands safely at mid-off. The next ball is the inverse: an inside edge that ‘megs him and squirts to square leg for no run. Oh but all is forgiven for the off-drive that follows, standing tall and timing exquisitely off the back-foot through mid-off for four. These are Hepburn-esque shots, utterly beautiful. I’m not liking Mohit’s line here, angled towards the unprotected fine-leg region. Porterfield carves a short, wide one up in the air and down to backward-point, where Jadeja reels it in very nicely to save one.
6th over: Ireland 39-0 (Porterfield 19, Stirling 16) A bit of tennis ball bounce from Shami and Dhoni does very well once again to take it one-handed, above his head. You won’t be surprised to hear that was a wide. Porterfield takes a single before Stirling dismisses a perfectly good ball through cover with a lovely drive on the up.
Pertinent, this. Or it would have been were England not now an irrelevance in world ODI cricket.
Just look at the difference here from England. Ireland are playing the World Champions and playing with confidence and without fear.
5th over: Ireland 33-0 (Porterfield 18, Stirling 12) Yadav has been yanked already and Mohit Sharma comes into the firing line. There are plenty of gaps, especially behind square on the leg-side for both batsmen, into which a couple of singles are worked before Stirling rifles an outstanding back-foot cover drive for four.
“Morning Dan!” writes Paul Devlin. “I fear for Ireland in this one. They are going to need a mammoth score to defend. O’Brien has leaked runs alarmingly, mostly in his second spells. I think he has bowled tightly at first, but when he comes back in the discipline is gone and he goes at over 15. Some Stirling fireworks to counteract it would be nice.”
4th over: Ireland 27-0 (Porterfield 17, Stirling 7) Good fielding at extra cover restricts Porterfield to one from the drive. Shami is bowling short to Stirling and the batsman gets off the mark with a picture-perfect pull that goes for a flat six, taking his strike rate from 0 to 100 in a single ball. One more to mid-wicket off the final ball.
If you can bring yourself to watch it...
3rd over: Ireland 19-0 (Porterfield 16, Stirling 0) Short from Yadav, Porterfield picks it up quickly and perfectly middles the hook over the short square-leg boundary. The bowler overcompensates and gets driven straight back down the ground for four. U2’s underrated Window in the Skies comes on the PA. Porterfield dabs the final ball of the over to extra cover and dashes through for the 11th run off it.
2nd over: Ireland 8-0 (Porterfield 5, Stirling 0) As you might have predicted, it’s Mohammed Shami from the other end. There’s a touch of movement back into the left-hander, but he’s not finding much carry, which is a bit of a surprise. Porterfield tucks a single to mid-on, then Shami sends down a big, booming leg-side wide that Dhoni takes very well to his left. Shami follows with another wide, although Dhoni appealed for a tickle down the leg-side to little effect. Nice try, Microsoft. Stirling then wafts and misses as one keeps low outside off.
1st over: Ireland 5-0 (Porterfield 4, Stirling 0) Here we go then, Yadav with the first new ball. He begins with a short, leg-side delivery and is lucky not to be called for a wide. He’s on the money for the next couple of balls, straight and tucking Porterfield up. His fourth ball offers a touch of width and the Irish captain’s slash results in an edge over slip for four. A leg-bye from the final ball makes five from the over.
Here’s the story on Ed Cowan’s retirement.
The commentators reckon 300 is par here; given it’s a day-nighter on a slightly green wicket, I’ll go lower and say 280 would be competitive, if not for Ireland’s weak seam attack: Kevin O’Brien has gone at more than 10 an over so far.
More humiliation: England’s flight home is earlier than Scotland’s.
Anyhow, the anthems. Ireland’s somehow doesn’t sound quite as good as it did at Lansdowne Road the other weekend.
There is a bit of grass on the wicket, which perhaps explains Thompson coming in for the spinner McBrine.
“Hi Dan,” Hi, Patrick Michael Hull. “Loving your 00:30 entry, can I borrow that excuse for work tomorrow if I stay up all night watching this one? Although an Ireland win tonight would be great, I wouldn’t mind it going down to the wire against Pakistan. One of the greatest bits of sporting drama I’ve ever seen live was Ireland snatching a last ball draw against Pakistan in Dublin a couple of years back; what I wouldn’t give to see that again in a few days time.”
Huh, I appear to have used “cracking” twice in a row.
Yesterday was International Women’s Day, so enjoy this cracking tune from one of Manchester’s finest.
Andy McBrine misses out for Ireland, with Stuart Thompson coming in. Hmm, surprised about that, largely because I don’t know much about Thompson. He’s a bowling all-rounder, with an excellent - if thin - record.
William Porterfield is the winner! He says Ireland will bat first.
Awww mate, this makes me sad
BREAKING: @eddiecowan has announced his immediate retirement from the Tasmanian Tigers. More detail to come as Ed speaks to media.
Fair warning: I’m in Manchester, doing this from my girlfriend’s sofa. Because, er, I forgot I was on this tonight. The internet is working fine at the moment, but the dog is eyeing up my power lead/feet.
Weather watch: Sunny, warm and presumably lovely for batting at Seddon Park. Then again, it was sunny and warm for New Zealand’s games with England and Australia and look at how the ball hooped around then. India’s seamers have been mighty impressive so far, but I’d hesitate to put them in the same bracket as Boult, Southee and Starc just yet.
Forget net run rates: for Ireland, it’s pretty simple: win one of their remaining two games and through they go at the expense of Pakistan or the Windies; indeed win one of the remaining two and the West Indies cannot catch them.
On the telly at the moment, Sky are giving the world exactly what it needs: another retrospective on Sachin Tendulkar.
Morning folks. We need this. Oh dear god how we need this. Yesterday’s match was, for England fans, traumatic to say the least. I don’t plan on talking about it much this morning, but so pathetic, so shambolic, so utterly disastrous was that match - and indeed the entire craptacular campaign - that we will, no doubt have a good ol’ vent of the spleen at some point.
Dan will be here shortly with play due to begin at 1am GMT, 2pm local time in Hamilton. In the meantime, here’s some hot preview action from the wires:
Ireland can confirm their place in the World Cup quarter-finals if they pull off another upset against defending champions India on Tuesday in Hamilton. William Porterfield’s men need to win one from their final two pool games to progress out of their group for the second time in three World Cups. Already they have beaten two full-member nations, West Indies and Zimbabwe, but a third scalp is likely still required with Pakistan also still to play next Sunday.
India have already qualified for the last-eight and could opt to rest some of their key players at Seddon Park, but Porterfield is not banking on the prospect. “No, I don’t think their guard will ever be down,” he said. “Whatever they decide to do is out of our control. Whoever they decide to play, it doesn’t really bother me. We’ve just got to keep all the momentum going and keep on improving at the little things we want to and keep taking things forward.”
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