Ireland hand West Indies 124-run drubbing

The West Indies began their tour of Ireland in disappointing fashion, crashing to a 124-run defeat in the opening One-Day International (ODI) at Malahide on Wednesday, as Andy Balbirnie’s classy century and a four-wicket haul from Barry McCarthy left the visitors reeling.

Chasing a formidable 304 for victory, the Windies were bowled out for 179 in just 34.1 overs, with only Roston Chase (55) and Matthew Forde (38) showing any real resistance in an otherwise lacklustre batting display. The defeat marks a troubling start to the tour for a side seeking stability and momentum ahead of upcoming qualification events.

Earlier, Ireland posted a commanding 303 for 6 after winning the toss and electing to bat. Skipper Paul Stirling and Balbirnie laid the platform with a fluent 109-run opening stand, with Stirling striking 54 off 64 balls, including six fours and two sixes.

After Stirling fell to Chase in the 23rd over, Balbirnie took control, building key partnerships with Cade Carmichael (16) and Harry Tector, who accelerated the innings with a lively 56 off 51 balls. Balbirnie’s patient and composed 112 off 138 deliveries – laced with nine fours and four sixes – was the backbone of the innings and earned him Player of the Match honours.

Ireland added 54 runs in the final five overs despite a late burst from Matthew Forde, who was the pick of the West Indies bowlers with 3 for 68, including the wickets of Tector, Lorcan Tucker (30), and George Dockrell. Alzarri Joseph chipped in with 2 for 51, but the rest of the attack struggled to contain the Irish batsmen.

In response, the West Indies suffered a top-order implosion that all but ended the contest within the first 10 overs. Evin Lewis was run out early for 2, and a devastating spell from Barry McCarthy saw him remove Brandon King (19), Keacy Carty (6), Amir Jangoo (0), and Matthew Forde, finishing with figures of 4 for 32 in 7.1 overs.

Captain Shai Hope was bowled by Thomas Mayes for just 2, and the visitors slumped to 31 for 5 inside 10 overs.

A brief counterattack came from Justin Greaves, who blasted a 17-ball 35, including seven boundaries, before falling to Josh Little. Roston Chase and Forde then added 98 runs for the seventh wicket, the only bright spark in an otherwise bleak innings.

But once Chase fell to Dockrell in the 32nd over, the end came quickly. Dockrell cleaned up the tail to finish with 3 for 21 from just two overs, including the wickets of Alzarri Joseph and Gudakesh Motie. (SportsMax)