Powerplay woes continue for Ireland as New Zealand wrap up T20 series at Stormont

Second T20I: New Zealand 179-4 (20 ovs) (D Cleaver 78no, F Allen 35; J Little 2-31, C Young 2-34) beat Ireland 91 (13.5 ovs) (P Stirling 21; M Bracewell 3-5, I Sodhi 3-21, J Duffy 2-20) by 88 runs

Powerplay woes with the bat cost Ireland for the second game in succession as they fell to an 88-run defeat to New Zealand in the second T20I at Stormont, handing the Black Caps an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

A powerplay score of 41 for four after six overs – identical to the last game on Monday – in a chase of 180 put Ireland well behind in the game. From there New Zealand’s spin attack of Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi squeezed out plenty of dot balls, building enough pressure to take three more wickets and leave Ireland 56 for seven midway through their innings and out of the game.

The final wicket fell in the 14th over, Michael Bracewell taking a hat-trick to tear through Ireland’s tail and wrap up a heaviest defeat of the summer for the hosts.

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Earlier on in the first innings, after being asked to bat first at the toss, Dane Cleaver hit a maiden international half-century to end unbeaten on 78 (off 55 balls), anchoring New Zealand’s effort of 179 for four.

New Zealand got off to a fast start as Finn Allen hit Craig Young’s opening over for 13 including the day’s first maximum via a pull over the leg side. Given the larger square boundaries, Ireland avoided pitching the ball full, opting instead to bowl into the wicket. You could see why, the one delivery that was pitched up to Allen was launched over mid-on off the bowling of Barry McCarthy.

For the third game in succession on this tour, Josh Little ended Allen’s fun, inducing a mistimed pull down the ground where McCarthy took a good catch at mid-on. Martin Guptill also departed to a shorter length delivery, top edging Young again to McCarthy at fine leg.

“We felt cross-seam deliveries into the pitch was the way to go,” explained captain Andrew Balbirnie of his side’s plans with the ball. “We are taking wickets [with that shorter length] but the next step is if we can contain them as well.”

George Dockrell was the sole Ireland spinner used, bowling a tidy three overs for just 20 as his resurgence with the ball continued, albeit he nor any of the rest of the attack could prevent Cleaver combining with Glenn Phillips to put on 53 for the third wicket.

A late fightback of sorts did come as Young dismantled Phillips’s middle pole while Little bounced out Daryl Mitchell. But on another pitch that looked to offer something for bowlers on a length, 179 always seemed like an above-par score.

New Zealand came out and opened with the spin of Santner but to little avail, Paul Stirling taking his first over for 11 with a pull over square leg and a drive through the offside.

Lockie Ferguson continued his battle with Ireland’s talisman two overs later, again coming out on the winning side as a ball bowled into the pitch hit high up on the bat and Santner took the catch at mid-off.

If Ireland looked to bowl hard lengths with the new ball, New Zealand bowled fuller and gave it a chance to move in the air. Gareth Delany’s first delivery left him late to crash into his off stump and leave Ireland two down in the fourth over. Harry Tector shortly after took an ill-judged single to Phillips at extra cover before Andrew Balbirnie nicked off to Duffy, the opener again getting reward for bowling just a touch fuller.

From there the innings completely unravelled. Sodhi and Santner combined to bowl 17 dot balls in six overs outside the powerplay, building pressure and cashing in when Ireland looked to release it. Sodhi had Curtis Campher caught at point, Lorcan Tucker stumped and ripped a fierce leg-break to take Dockrell’s edge first ball.

Mark Adair once again looked to rebuild for a short period before launching five boundaries. He and McCarthy initially looked to cash in on a good match-up with off-spinner Bracewell with a series of boundaries through midwicket.

However, given the series he is having, it wasn’t surprising to see Bracewell have the last laugh, getting Adair and McCarthy caught in the deep before Little sliced him to backward point and secure a match-winning hat-trick.