News Americas, HOBART, Ireland, Fri. Oct. 21, 2022: The West Indies team has been unceremoniously knocked out of the Twenty20 World Cup after going down by nine wickets to Ireland in a must-win final qualifier.
The Caribbean side entered the game as one of four teams in Group B on two points, and needing to win in order to seal their qualification to the Super12 main draw.
However, they managed only 146 for five off their 20 overs after choosing to bat first at Bellerive Oval, with Brandon King lashing an unbeaten 62 from 48 balls.
ntering the final must-win Group B qualifier with high hopes of reaching the Super 12s main draw, West Indies hardly troubled an audacious Irish side, gathering an inadequate 146 for five from their 20 overs and then watching as the target was overhauled with 15 balls to spare at Bellerive Oval.
West Indies were tormented by veteran opener Paul Stirling, the 32-year-old lashing an unbeaten 66 from 48 deliveries to guide Ireland into the next round along with Zimbabwe from Group B, the African nation defeating Scotland by five wickets in the other do-or-die qualifier.
The aggressive Stirling posted successive half-century stands – 73 for the first wicket with captain Andy Balbirnie who made 37 and a further 77 in an unbroken second wicket partnership with Lorcan Tucker who struck 45 not out from 35 deliveries.
The defeat means the two-time former champions finished bottom of the tour-team group on just two points, and it comes on the heels of their disastrous performance at last year’s showpiece in United Arab Emirates when they lost four of five games to miss out on the semi-finals.
