BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Sheldon Cottrell drove Mark Adair over extra cover for six off the penultimate ball to seal a thrilling, one-wicket victory for West Indies over Ireland in the second Colonial Medical Insurance One-day International on Thursday.
Chasing 238 for victory, West Indies looked a long-shot, when they stumbled to 148 for six in the 28th over before a career-best, 46 not out off 67 balls from Hayden Walsh Jr on the 10th anniversary of his father’s death resurrected their chances and carried them over the finish line.
West Indies now hold an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series following a five-wicket victory in the first ODI this past Tuesday at the same venue. The series concludes on Sunday at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada.
Walsh shared a West Indies record eighth-wicket stand of 52 with Khary Pierre and added a further 32 with Alzarri Joseph for the ninth wicket to put them within the reach of victory in familiar surroundings of Kensington Oval, where the West Indies leg-spinner has played for Barbados Pride in the Professional Cricket League and the champion Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League in the last three seasons.
West Indies, however, had to endure a nail-biting period before the finish with Cottrell surviving a run out chance with three runs required.
Nicholas Pooran had anchored the top half of the batting with a top score of 52 and shared successive half-century stands with Shai Hope and West Indies captain Kieron Pollard before the innings ran into turmoil.
Earlier, Alzarri Joseph ended with 4-32 from his allotted 10 overs that helped to earn him the Player of the Match award for the second consecutive night. It was also the third time Joseph has taken four wickets in as many ODIs at this venue.
West Indies met defiance from opener Paul Stirling, whose 63 from 79 balls was the top score for the Irish, who needed a couple of handy scores from Simi Singh, Kevin O’Brien and William Porterfield down the order to inch them to a respectable 237 for nine from their allocation of 50 overs.
The host met little resistance from Ireland apart from a 59-run, third-wicket stand between Stirling and Porterfield, but allowed things to slip a bit inside the last 10 overs, when the visitors were able to add 45 and get past 200. (CWI)
