CRICKET WORLD CUP:IT WAS fitting that a massive six from the bat of Kevin O'Brien helped Ireland secure another memorable World Cup victory over the Netherlands at Eden Gardens yesterday, but the big Railway Union all-rounder had to play second fiddle in the end as Paul Stirling proved almost as destructive in the six-wicket win.
The 20-year-old opening batsman from Belfast may have had a frustrating tournament with the bat, but he came off in sensational fashion yesterday as Ireland chased down the third-highest total in World Cup history after the Dutch had made 306 on a cracking batting wicket.
Ireland already held the number one spot after the England game in Bangalore.
And to Stirling goes the honour of becoming the youngest player to score a World Cup century, bettering Ricky Ponting’s knock against the West Indies in Jaipur back in 1996 by over eight months.
Hit off just 70 balls, it was also the fourth-fastest in the tournament’s history, behind Kevin O’Brien’s 50-ball smash-fest against England, and he now sits nicely ahead of giants Kapil Dev and Adam Gilchrist, who both took 72 deliveries to reach three figures.
Suffering from severe cramp afterwards after batting in the height of another broiling Calcutta day, the Middlesex player was not able to come out to accept his man of the match award. Skipper William Porterfield did the honours at the presentation ceremony.
Porterfield had enjoyed a back-seat ride in the company of Stirling as Ireland set about their second 300-plus run-chase of the tournament, and the captain expressed his delight it all came right for the young man after he had managed just 56 runs in the first five Group B games.
“It was a great innings, he hasn’t had the best of runs so far in the tournament so to come out and play the way he played shows great character in the lad and I’m delighted for him that he got his century,” said Porterfield, who was delighted to play junior partner with his innings of 68 in an Irish record ODI opening stand of 177.
At one stage Stirling threatened Kevin O’Brien’s record knock after he amassed his 50 in just 25 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes, as Ireland hit 81 off the first 10 powerplay overs.
Porterfield, dropped on two and 43, eventually departed in the 27th over, caught at the wicket off Tom Cooper. And the Dutch struck it big three balls later when Stirling departed just two balls after bringing up his second ODI century, when he pulled a long hop from Pieter Seelaar straight down the throat of Alexei Kervezee at deep midwicket.
Stirling looked crestfallen at the manner of his dismissal with 128 still needed for victory, but cool heads came in the shape of Ed Joyce and Niall O’Brien, who added a vital 54 for the third wicket.
Joyce would fall for 28 and Gary Wilson for 15, but Ireland got over the line in the safe hands of the O’Brien brothers, with Niall finishing unbeaten on 57 and Kevin clubbing two sixes to make it nine in total in the tournament as Ireland won with 14 balls to spare.
There had earlier been a bizarre ending to the Dutch innings, as they lost their last four wickets to run-outs from the last four deliveries.
It certainly gave Ireland momentum going in to the break after Ryan ten Doeschate’s brilliant century and Peter Borren’s more workmanlike 84 .
John Mooney signed off a fine tournament with two wickets for 59, while also being involved in two of the run-outs, while Stirling was again highly effective with his off-spin, taking two for 51, including the vital scalp of Ten Doeschate for 106.
There was one sour note when spinner George Dockrell dislocated his shoulder attempting to field off his own bowling. The 18-year-old Somerset player is set to be out for six to eight weeks.
So Ireland end their campaign on a high note by reaffirming their status as top of the tree in Associate cricket. And with the Hindi festival of Holi starting today, where people delight in covering each other in paint, the Irish party are likely to splash a pot or two of the red stuff around this wonderful city before the head home tomorrow morning.
Scoreboard at Eden Gardens
Ireland won the toss and elected to field.
Netherlands Innings
E S’czynski c N O’Brien b Johnston 1
W Barresi lbw b Stirling 44
T Cooper c Porterfield b Rankin 5
R ten Doeschate c Mooney b Stirling 106
A Kervezee c K O’Brien b Mooney 12
P Borren c Porterfield b Mooney 84
A Buurman run out 26
M Bukhari run out 11
P Seelaar run out 0
A Raja run out 0
B Loots not out 0
Extras (b1 lb8 w5 nb3) 17
–––––
Total (all out; 50 overs) 306
Fall of wickets: 0-7, 1-7, 2-12, 3-53, 4-113, 5-234, 6-287, 7-305, 8-305, 9-305, 10-306.
Bowling: Rankin 9-0-74-1 (3nb, 3w), Johnston 10-1-50-1, Mooney 10-0-59-2, Dockrell 3.4-0-15-0, Stirling 10-0-51-2, Cusack 2.2-0-15-0, K O’Brien 5-0-33-0 (2w).
Ireland Innings
W Porterfield c Buurman b Cooper 68
P Stirling c Kervezee b Seelaar 101
E Joyce c Buurman b Cooper 28
N O’Brien not out 57
G Wilson c Buurman b Ten Doeschate 27
K O’Brien not out 15
Extras (lb 10 w 1) 11
–––––
Total (for four; 47.4 overs) 307
Fall of wickets: 1-177, 2-179, 3-233, 4-279.
Did not bat: Cusack, Johnston, Mooney, Dockrell, Rankin.
Bowling: Bukhari 7-0-42-0, Raja 8-1-44-0, Loots 2-0-29-0, ten Doeschate 9-1-58-1 (1w), Seelaar 9.4-1-55-1, Borren 5-0-38-0, Cooper 7-1-31-2.
Ireland won by six wickets.
