When Curtis Campher and George Dockrell linked up in the chase of 177 against Scotland, Ireland were 61 for 4 in 9.3 overs. At the time, ESPN cricinfo's Forecaster gave Ireland a less than 10% chance of victory, but the duo overcame formidable odds to produce a come-from-behind win and keep alive their chances of qualifying for the Super 12 round.
At one
stage, victory had seemed so unimaginable that when Campher hit the winning
runs with one over to spare, there were tears of joy among the few Ireland fans
at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. An emotional Campher, who had scored a heroic 72,
also seemed on the verge of tears while talking to the broadcaster.
While
Campher was the undisputed star of the chase with an innings that came at a
strike rate of 225, he was abl supported by Dockrell's unbeaten 27-ball 39.
Their partnership of 119 off 57 balls - the highest of the tournament thus far
- thwarted Scotland's effort of 176 for 5 that was achieved after Michael Jones hammered
a 55-ball 86, the competition's highest individual score so far.
Ireland's
win opened up Group B, with all four teams in contention to qualify for the
Super 12 round.
A partnership to remember
Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie impressed briefly at the start of the chase but both batters fell inside the powerplay. The Scottish spinners then came into play, removing Lorcan Tucker (20) and Harry Tector (14) just as they were on the verge of changing gears. At the drinks break, Ireland had two new batters in Campher and Dockrell and they needed 116 runs off 63 deliveries.Curtis Campher and
George Duckell shared a crucial century stand•ICC via Getty Images
The duo
paced the chase to perfection, with at least one boundary in every over from
the 11th until the finish. The tide began to change in the 13th over when
Scotland's in-form spinner Mark Watt was taken for 18 runs, with Campher
slog-sweeping him for six. From there on, Campher maintained the pressure,
using the width of the crease to toy with the field. Offspinner Michael Leask
was scooped over short fine leg in the 14th over; Brad Wheal was deposited over
cow corner for six in the 15th, which yielded 14 runs; and the 16th from Josh
Davey cost 17 runs, with both Dockrell and Campher clattering three boundaries
in the space of five balls.
Campher and
Dockrell played only two dot balls between overs 12 and 16. They took the
fielders on as the field placement turned more defensive as the partnership
blossomed. With four overs to go, Campher and Dockrell brought down the
required runs to 36. Pressure firmly on Scotland now, Ireland picked off 23
runs in the next two overs to turn their once-distant dream of victory into a
reality. The final touches were applied by Campher, the Player of the Match,
with a hat-trick of fours in the penultimate over.
Scotland ride on Jones' 86
After Scotland chose to bat, George Munsey was trapped lbw by a swinging delivery from Mark Adair in the second over. The other opener Michael Jones struggled for fluency, scoring only 11 off his first 15 balls.The No. 3
Matthew Cross, however, looked in sublime touch. Relying on his fast hands,
Cross raced to 20 off only 13 balls, and eventually Jones seemed to find his
form too. The boost came after the powerplay, when Jones pulled Barry McCarthy
for six over the short square-leg boundary. Thereafter, Jones' range of strokes
kept growing even after Cross fell for 28 to Campher
His most
productive regions were cover and midwicket. He used his feet against spinners
Simi Singh and Dockrell to go inside out for fours to enter the 30s. Jones then
dispatched Josh Little for six by spotting a short ball early and rocking back
deep in his crease. He reached his maiden T20I fifty off 38 balls with a single
through covers in the 14th over. For a moment, it appeared that Jones' innings
would end on 50, but he successfully overturned an lbw decision that was given
out originally by umpire Kumar Dharmasena.
With five
overs to go, Scotland were 122 for 2, and with wickets in hand, a big push was
expected. The acceleration began when Jones clubbed Gareth Delany for six and
four in the 16th over. Berrington fell for 37 to Campher, trying to start the
17th on a positive note, and Jones survived a dropped chance in the same over
when Delany put him down at long leg.
After the
reprieve, McCarthy offered Jones a high full toss, and the no-ball was pulled
for a big six. He then clubbed Little for four down the ground to reach 84,
surpassing Sikandar Raza's 82 as the highest individual score so far in this
T20 World Cup. Jones fell on 86 two balls later, when he holed out to long-on
after attempting a helicopter-style shot that was a mix between MS Dhoni and
Rashid Khan's methods. When he fell, Scotland were already on 170.
They
finished on 176 eventually, a winning total on most days after the kind of
start Scotland's bowlers had in the second innings. But it wasn't enough after
Campher's counterattack, which meant that the first seven matches in the
tournament had been won by the team that lost the toss.