Tag: New Zealand vs Ireland

POTCHEFSTROOM: Rwanda’s Henriette Ishimwe returned with splendid figures of 4/13 to aid in her side’s astounding triumph over Zimbabwe by 39 runs in the Group B fixture of the ongoing ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

Set to defend a mere 120 in the allotted 20 overs, Rwanda’s bowlers script an astonishing comeback to bundle out Zimbabwe for a paltry 80 runs.

Despite a shaky start, Zimbabwe at one stage were 60/2 in pursuit before losing the remaining eight wickets for just 20 runs.

Opener Natasha Mtomba and top-order batter Kelly Ndiraya struck a fighting 20 each, while the remaining batters seemed clueless against Rwanda’s bowling attack.

Notably, eight Zimbabwean batters failed to amass double figures while half of them perished for a golden duck.

Henriette led the bowling attack for Rwanda with four wickets while Zurufat Ishimwe bagged two. Gisele Ishimwe, Rosine Irera and Geovanis Uwase, on the other hand, made one scalp each.

Put into bat first, Rwanda too, had a dismal display with the bat as they could only amass 119/8 in the allotted overs.

Rwanda’s top three batters Merveille Uwase (18), Cynthia Tuyizere (30) and skipper Gisele Ishimwe (34) remained the only notable run-getters while their middle and lower-order batters perished cheaply in single figures.

Chipo Moyo was the pick of the bowlers for Zimbabwe as she claimed three wickets while Kudzai Chigora bagged two.

It is pertinent to mention that current Rwanda’s side are the first team to represent the country at a cricket world cup.

Meanwhile, in the Group C fixture of the mega event, dominant New Zealand thwarted Ireland by nine wickets with 79 balls to spare.

After opting to bat first, the Irish batting lineup endured a ruthless attack by the Kiwi bowlers which bundled them out for a skimpy 74 runs.

Zara Craig (20) and Abbi Harrison (14) offered a brief fightback with their 21-run partnership but could not stretch their stand.

Besides the duo, the rest of the Irish batters failed to amass double figures.

Natasha Codyre was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand with 3/6 while Tash Wakelin claimed 2/12. Kayley Knight, Olivia Anderson and Abigail Hotton struck out a batter each.

In response, New Zealand eased through the pursuit in the seventh over after losing just one wicket.

Anna Browning top-scored for the White Ferns with a quickfire 29 off 14 deliveries before Antonia Hamilton (18) and Georgia Plimmer (17) steered the side to victory.

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BELFAST: New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell claimed his maiden T20I hat-trick in his first over to power the touring side seal a thumping 88-run victory over hosts Ireland in the second T20I of the three-match series.

Bracewell, who bowled the 14th over of the inning with the hosts struggling at 86/7 while chasing 180 further added to the misery of the home side as he claimed his first international hat-trick to wrap up a crushing victory for the visitors.

Set to chase 180, the Irish batting line-up failed completely and could only score 91 runs before being bowled out in the 14th over as leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and Bracewell took three each.

Mark Adair fought hard for the hosts with a gritty 27 off balls, while the opener Paul Stirling resisted with 21 off 15. The rest of the batters, however, remained clueless against the strong Kiwi bowling attack.

New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy also shone with two wickets, while Lockie Ferguson made one scalp.

Batting first, the visitors made the exceptional recovery at the death and managed to pose a decent total on the board at the back of an astonishing knock of wicket-keeper batter Dane Cleaver, who scored a quickfire 75 off 55 balls, laced with five boundaries and four sixes.

Meanwhile, young opening batter Finn Allen provided the visitors with a solid foundation, as he chipped in with a magnificent knock of 35 runs off a mere 20 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and two sixes.

The rest of the touring batters made small contributions as New Zealand recovered from 123/3 in the 15th over to 179/4 in the allotted 20 overs.

For Ireland, Craig Young and Josh Little bagged two wickets each.

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AUCKLAND: New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the team’s departure for Ireland for the limited-overs tour. 

Santner, who has recently been named as Kiwi captain for the T20I series against Ireland, has been barred to fly with the squad for the upcoming tour after testing corona positive.

Shane Jurgensen, New Zealand’s head coach for the Ireland series, said Santner’s availability for the six matches against the Irish will be determined once he recovers from Covid and arrives in Dublin.

“We’ve got 11 games across the three tours and another tour to follow against the West Indies in August, which Mitch will be involved with, so we certainly won’t be looking to rush him,” he said.

The Kiwis will face the hosts Ireland in three-match ODI series commencing on July 10, followed by three T20I matches on July 18, 20, and 22.

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