Ferguson too good for Ireland as Blackcaps claim first T20I

New Zealand (173-8, 20 overs)(Glenn Phillips 69; Josh Little 4-35) beat Ireland (142 all out, 18.2 overs)(Curtis Campher 29; Lockie Ferguson 4-14) by 31 runs. Full scorecard here.

Change of format, same result for Ireland as New Zealand claimed a 31-run victory in the first of a three-match T20I series in Belfast. Glenn Phillips ensured the Blackcaps recovered from a circumspect start with a well-paced unbeaten innings of 69 off 52 deliveries on a Stormont pitch described as “niggly” by Kiwi skipper Mitchell Santner, while Lockie Ferguson showed his T20 class with a spell of 4-14 to kill off Ireland’s chase.

Ireland won the toss for the first time in the series and chose to bowl, quickly picking out a hard length that proved difficult for batters to score off. Finn Allen carved a shorter delivery from Josh Little straight to George Dockrell at extra cover while the same bowler worked debutant Dane Cleaver over with some short stuff, the Kiwi wicketkeeper eventually nicking one of them behind to Lorcan Tucker.

In between those dismissals, Martin Guptill flayed a series of boundaries fortuitously behind point and through fine leg before skying a full Mark Adair delivery to long off. New Zealand loss three wickets during their power play to sit on 42-3, Ireland certainly having the better start.

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From there Phillips recognised the need to rotate rather than continually seeking the boundary given how much cutters were gripping in the surface. It was an assured knock at a lower strike rate than usual from him, bringing up his half-century off 45 deliveries in the 19th over.

Ireland sprang a surprise with the selection of their attack. The only front line spinner in their squad — Andy McBrine — was left out after a difficult series against India, Ireland opting to go without an off-spinner despite New Zealand having three middle-order left handers in Jimmy Neesham, Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santnter.

Instead George Dockrell, much heralded for his late-career transformation into a batter, was given the ball as the main spinner, his left-armers going for 1-31 off four overs, the wicket coming when Neesham gloved behind while looking to run the ball behind square on the offside. Given his success and that of the Kiwi spinners later on who found more spin off the surface — unsurprisingly given Dockrell is not a massive turner of the ball — perhaps Ireland could have rethought their attack.

Dockrell was a good matchup to Phillips who opted to rotate of him instead of taking him on. Instead, he found his boundaries late on, pulling Little into the leg side and taking Adair for 19 runs in the 20th, this despite an excellent three delivery sequence of bouncer (taking the wicket of Ish Sodhi), wide yorker, wide yorker to start the over from the Northern Knights bowler.

The latter half of the over got away from him, as a no-ball and a subsequent six over the leg side catapulted New Zealand up to 173-8 when at one stage they looked on for a much lower total.

If Phillips showed the value of taking time to adjust to deliveries bowled into the pitch and slower balls that stopped in the surface, the importance of having someone set at the death on a pitch that was by no means flat, Ireland had no one replicate that innings.

Andrew Balbirnie started well with boundaries off Jacob Duffy through the offside, playing off the front and back foot, only to fail to clear Santner at mid off — it was a stunning catch from the Blackcaps’ skipper. Ferguson and Duffy kept Paul Stirling in check, not offering the width he so craves until he carved a Ferguson slower ball straight to extra cover.

Gareth Delany followed soon after. Just days after seeing a Ferguson bouncer whizz past his nose on a quicker pitch, the Kiwi quick double-bluffed him with a slower ball that uprooted his timber.

Once Harry Tector departed shortly after to a Santner delivery that skipped off the surface, catching the outer half of the bat before being snared by Sodhi at short third, the chase felt beyond Ireland at 41-4 after the power play.

Dockrell and Curtis Campher retaliated, the former taking a liking to Daryl Mitchell in his lone over, the latter playing Sodhi well over extra cover and mid wicket. Campher missed a reverse ramp to be pinned in front by Ferguson and Dockrell picked out long on from a Sodhi delivery bowled into the pitch.

Mark Adair threatened to make the game close, taking a few balls to acclimatise to the pitch before hitting three boundaries but once he picked out mid wicket off Neesham that was well and truly that. Ferguson returned to take the glove of Craig Young and end the game in the 19th over.