West Indies, who won the T20 World Cups in 2012 and 2014, were knocked out of the 2022 edition after Ireland beat them by nine wickets at the Bellerive Oval, Hobart on Friday. With the loss, Nicholas Pooran and co will not advance to the Super 12 stage. 

Ireland failed to get past the first round in their last five T20 World Cup campaigns. However, on Friday, in a do-or-die situation, Andrew Balbirnie and co restricted the Windies to a 146 runs in the first innings, and then chased the total with nine wickets and 15 balls to spare. 

Also read: Who can replace Shan Masood in Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2022 squad?

Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Ireland have progressed to the Super 12s. The last team to qualify for the next stage will be decided by the Zimbabwe vs Scotland match played at the Blundstone Arena in Bellerive. 

Bowling first, leg-spinner Gareth Delany led Ireland with a three-fer. He picked the key wickets of Nicholas Pooran, Evin Lewis and Rovman Powell. All other bowlers, except Curtis Campher, were economical. 

Also read: T20 World Cup 2022: Pakistan’s Shan Masood hit by Mohammad Nawaz’s shot in nets, hospitalised

For West Indies, Brandon King remained unbeaten with 62 runs in 48 balls. Opener Johnson Charles got a start but couldn’t make it count. He made 24 runs. 

Ireland got off to a flying start. They lost their first wicket in the eighth over for 73 runs. Opener Paul Stirling remained unbeaten at 66 and Lorcan Tucker made 45 runs. Skipper Andrew Balbirnie scored 37 off 23 balls before he was dismissed by Akeal Hosein. 

Also read: The Shah effect: Shaheen Afridi and Naseem, combined, set to test India

Pacer Jason Holder gave 23 runs in his four-over quota. Delany was named the player of the match.  

“It’s tough, we haven’t batted well in this tournament at all. On a really good batting surface, making 145, it’s a really difficult task for the bowlers. It was going to be a challenge. Congratulations to Ireland, they batted fantastically and bowled well today,” West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran said after the match.

“We have disappointed our fans and ourselves. It’s definitely hurting. I have disappointed my guys with the way I performed.”