Joyce's composure crucial in building victory

CRICKET WORLD CUP QUALIFIER:ED JOYCE continued to show his experience and skill will prove vital in his second turn for Ireland after his composed innings of 88 laid the foundations for a 117-run victory over Kenya in yesterday's World Cup qualifier in Mombasa.

The Sussex left-hander took the man-of-the-match honours as Ireland made amends for their seven-wicket defeat to the African side on Saturday to go top of the qualifier table with five wins from six games.

Skipper William Porterfield won the toss again and put his side in, but when Kevin O’Brien was adjudged leg-before for 19, his side were 126 for five after 34 overs and in need of a steadying hand.

It came in the shape of Joyce and Andrew White, who despite conditions favourable to Kenya’s slew of slow bowlers, would add 83 runs for the sixth wicket.

With the ball turning, Joyce was circumspect in taking 91 balls to reach 49 not out, but the next delivery he faced would be hit for six to bring up his 16th half-century for Ireland.

Joyce has yet to make a century since returning from his England sojourn, and he was to miss out again, caught at short mid-wicket the ball after hitting the third six of his innings to leave Ireland on 209 for six in the 47th over.

White would depart for 28 three balls later, but a fine knock of 23 not out from 14 deliveries from John Mooney helped Ireland close on 237 for nine.

Ireland’s bowlers could only manage two wickets in Saturday’s defeat, but a much-improved showing in broiling conditions saw them bowl the African side out for just 120, with four bowlers taking two wickets apiece. Trent Johnston took the key wicket of Tanmay Mishra, who followed his unbeaten 70 on Saturday, with just two yesterday, while Clontarf all-rounder Alex Cusack took two wickets in the space of just five deliveries to reduce Kenya to 37 for five at one stage.

Kenya put on 36 runs for the next wicket before Ireland’s spinners made the breakthrough, with left-armer George Dockrell taking two wickets in four deliveries before off-spinner Paul Stirling trumped him with two in two to reduce the home side to 114 for nine. Stirling missed out on the hat-trick ball at the start of his next over, but the game was wrapped up when O’Brien threw back to the bowler to run out Shem Ngoche off the next ball.

Joyce admitted he missed out on a great chance to record his third century for Ireland, but that the result was all the mattered.

“I thought I batted well enough to get a hundred so I was disappointed,” said Joyce.

“This was the biggest game we have had for some time. Having lost the first one you didn’t want to be four out of six, and these were two games we felt we should have won. Looking back we should have won the first but just batted very, very poorly in that game.”

Ireland now switch to the third discipline of the trip, with the first of three Twenty20 matches taking place tomorrow.