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Kirton, Gordon and Heyliger sparkle in landmark Canada win
Canada wrapped up a comfortable win despite a 62-run seventh-wicket stand between Mark Adair and George Dockrell. (Getty Images)
ESPNcricinfo – The Associate has struck twice in two days. Group C and D might have been the groups of death leading up to the T20 World Cup 2024 but for the moment the blockbuster results are coming out of Group A. After Pakistan shocked USA in Dallas on Thursday, it was Canada’s turn to stun a Full Member side yesterday as they beat Ireland by 12 runs in New York to record their first-ever T20 World Cup win.
The focus was all on the surface in New York and while Canada found the going tough early on, Nicholas Kirton and Shreyas Movva steadied the ship to take them to 137 for 7 in their 20 overs. This was the first time in five innings that a team had managed to breach the 100-run mark in New York this World Cup. And it proved to be enough.
The Canada bowlers were all over the Ireland batters in the chase. They did not let them get away in the powerplay before Junaid Siddiqui and Saad Bin Zafar applied the squeeze in the middle overs. When Ireland slipped to 59 for 6 in the 13th over, it seemed all but over for them. Mark Adair and George Dockrell resurrected the Irish innings and put on 62 for the seventh wicket, but Jeremy Gordon and Dilon Heyliger held their own at the death to deliver Canada a famous win. Ireland were restricted to 125 for 7 and have now lost two in two.
Gordon helps Canada take powerplay honours
On an uneven surface and a sluggish outfield, a chase of 138 was always going to be a tricky ask. Canada’s defence did not get off to the best of starts with Kaleem Sana unable to control the early movement. But Gordon understood the lengths to bowl on the surface from the get-go and the rest of the bowlers followed suit. Ireland could only manage two fours in the first six overs – one in the first over and one in the sixth. In between, there were plenty of swishes and misses from Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie and hardly any decent connections.
Gordon’s relentless lengths got the better of Stirling in the final over of the powerplay when he could only manage a top edge on his attempted heave with the wicketkeeper taking a comfortable catch. He fell for an uncharacteristic 9 off 17 and Ireland’s innings went downhill thereon.
Scores: Canada 137 for 7 (Kirton 49, Movva 37, McCarthy 2-24, Young 2-32) beat Ireland 125 for 7 (Adair 34, Dockrell 30*, Gordon 2-16, Heyliger 2-18) by 12 runs.
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