Cricket:Ireland's World Twenty20 hopes disappeared with the rain for a second straight tournament after the weather prevented a result in tonight's final ICC World Twenty20 Group B match against the West Indies at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The Irish were cruelly denied a chance to win through to face England at Pallekele on Thursday in the Super Eights, as rain wiped out West Indies’ chase of 129 for six.
The Windies therefore qualify for the second stage, in second place behind Australia. Both they and Ireland lost to Australia, but West Indies recorded a superior run rate in doing so.
Ireland’s workmanlike innings was interrupted when bad weather first intervened after five overs and reduced the contest at that stage to 19 per side.
Captain William Porterfield was already gone, for his second golden duck of the tournament to the first ball of the innings, when he could not stop a Fidel Edwards yorker disturbing middle stump.
Put in after Darren Sammy won the toss, everyone else in the Ireland order from two to eight made double figures, but none more than Niall O’Brien’s 25 in an innings which set the West Indies a near par target, before rain returned.
The weather did not relent, and Ireland were therefore knocked out.
Ireland opening bowler Boyd Rankin was ruled out of the game after failing to recover from a stomach bug that affected half of the Irish squad. The Warwickshire player will now retire from international cricket with Ireland in a bid to play Test cricket for England.