Two-time champions West Indies were knocked out of T20 World Cup after losing to Ireland in their final Group B clash of the T20 World Cup on Friday.
Ireland defeated West Indies by 9 wickets in the game at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
Chasing 147 runs, Ireland reached home in 17.3 overs. Paul Stirling’s 66 not out and Lorcan Tucker’s unbeaten 45 made the chase a cakewalk for Ireland.
Akeal Hosein broke the opening partnership in the eighth over by removing the Ireland captain but that barely had an effect on Ireland.
Earlier, Brandon King marked his return to the playing eleven with an unbeaten 62 to take the West Indies to an under-par 146/5 in 20 overs
leg-spinner Gareth Delany picked career-best figures of 3/16 and kept things tight, while off-spinner Simi Singh and pacer Barry McCarthy took a wicket apiece to give their side a good chance of qualifying for the Super 12 stage.
Pushed into bowling first, Ireland drew first blood as Barry McCarthy foxed Kyle Mayers with his length ball, the left-hander completely mistiming the ball to mid-off.
Johnson Charles feasted on Curtis Campher’s short balls, taking two fours and a six on three consecutive deliveries in the fourth over.
But as soon as off-spinner Simi Singh took him out in his first over, as Charles sliced a short ball straight to backward point.
But he didn’t find much support from the other end as Evin Lewis was rusty in his 18-ball stay and departed when he miscued a Delany googly to deep mid-off.
King continued to anchor the innings with back-to-back fours off McCarthy and get his sixth T20I fifty even as captain Nicholas Pooran fell while trying to clear the infield and Rovman Powell holed out to deep mid-wicket.
With King unable to get the desired acceleration, Odean Smith swung hard to hit a four and two sixes in his 19 not out off 12 balls, but was unable to push West Indies past 150-mark.
For Ireland, Gareth Delany returned with three wickets.
Brief Scores: West Indies 146/5 in 20 overs (Brandon King 62, Johnson Charles 24; Gareth Delany 3-16) lost to Ireland 150/1 in 17.3 overs (Paul Stirling 65*, Andrew Balbirnie 37) by 9 wickets