Ireland seeking final hurrah in tri-series
Ireland and New Zealand are set to lock horns for the second time in the ongoing One-Day International tri-nation series, also involving Bangladesh, in Dublin on Sunday (May 21) with the home side yet to register a win in the tournament.
When the two sides met last week, New Zealand marched to a 51-run victory despite Niall O'Brien hitting a superb century to keep Ireland's hopes alive till deep into the 289-run chase. But with O'Brien lacking support from the other end, Ireland was bowled out for 238 in 45.3 overs.
He was the eighth batsman to fall during the pursuit, and had he found an ally, Ireland could well have registered a famous victory to upset New Zealand, who is also using this tournament to get acclimatised to the conditions in the region ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in England and Wales next month.
After the first match of the competition - between Ireland and Bangladesh - was washed out because of heavy rains, Mashrafe Mortaza and Co. returned to beat Ireland by eight wickets on Friday, thus holding on to the second spot in the points table.
While O'Brien, the only centurion in the competition so far, is second in the batting charts with 139 runs in three matches at an average of 69.50, no one else from his side features in the top ten.
The pace duo of Barry McCarthy and Peter Chase have been the most successful bowlers for Ireland so far, with both bagging four wickets in three matches. But to topple a side like New Zealand, Ireland will need a collective all-round effort in its final appearance in the tournament.
New Zealand, who beat Bangladesh by four wickets last week, is unbeaten in the tournament so far. Neil Broom (127 runs at 63.50 in two matches), Jimmy Neesham and Ross Taylor have been the chief contributors with the bat, while Mitchell Santner, the left-arm spinner, has managed to bag the most wickets despite the traditionally pace-friendly conditions on offer. With six wickets in two matches, picked up at an average of 14.33 and a miserly economy of 4.30, Santner is second in the tournament bowling charts, trailing Mustafizur Rahman, who also has six wickets under his belt, but from three games.
The batting looks solid, with Broom, Neesham, Taylor, George Worker and Tom Latham all having hit a half-century each to build confidence in the camp. Another win against Ireland will be a perfect way to seal preparations ahead of the Champions Trophy, in which New Zealand is slotted in Group A, alongside England, Australia and Bangladesh.
Weather-wise, overcast conditions are expected to prevail, with the temperature hovering around 15°C.
Teams (from):
New Zealand: Tom Latham (capt), Luke Ronchi (wk), George Worker, Ross Taylor, Neil Broom, Henry Nicholls, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Neil Wagner, Seth Rance, Hamish Bennett, Ish Sodhi, Adam Milne.
Ireland: William Porterfield (capt), Andy Balbirnie, Peter Chase, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Barry McCarthy, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson (wk), Craig Young.