Australia’s pace bowlers and a serious bit of scoring pace at the start of their innings helped the world champions secure a 23-run Duckworth Lewis victory over Ireland at Stormont in the Hanley Energy Challenge One-Day International on Thursday.
A two hour stoppage for rain ended with Ireland set a target of 181 in 24 overs and for a brief moment the Belfast crowd dared to dream as the left-handed duo of Ed Joyce (44) and Niall O’Brien (45) put on 86 from 76 balls for the third wicket.
Stuart Thompson (24 from 16 balls) launched two massive sixes to raise hopes again and with 46 required from five overs and with five wickets in hand the game was still there for the taking.
Pat Cummins had other ideas, bowling with real venom to take out Andy Balbirnie and Gary Wilson as the game slipped away, before Nathan Coulter Nile (three for 13) finished off the Ireland reply as they were bowled out for 157.
A wet Belfast morning had earlier delayed the start of play until 12.30pm, with the match reduced to 47 overs per side.
Ireland’s bowlers did well to halt a runaway train start from Australia led by openers David Warner and Joe Burns, who was making his ODI debut.
Craig Young felt the brunt of their assault in his third over; Burns hitting him for three straight fours and Warner one as he went for 17 runs.
The openers hit 80 runs off the first 10 overs and Ireland’s cause was not helped when Young had Burns caught behind by Niall O’Brien in the 18th over, only for the replays to show the bowler had overstepped his mark.
It was looking ominous for Ireland when the opening pair had made it to 145 without loss in the 22nd over before Young’s short ball saw Burns sky one to O’Brien after adding eight more runs as he departed for 69.
The wicket started a brilliant clawback by the Ireland attack, led by Tim Murtagh, who took the wicket of Warner for 84 with Joyce taking a fine running catch in the deep.
The Middlesex player bowled George Bailey for one in his next over before off-spinner Andy McBrine was rewarded for a tidy spell when Glenn Maxwell edged behind with O’Brien taking a fine catch.
The first major deluge arrived but Ireland had taken four wickets and given away just 92 runs in 21 overs as they ran for cover.
On the resumption, with just an over lost, they pushed on to 222 for six before a near two-hour stoppage ended their innings.
HANLEY ENERGY CHALLENGE ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL
(at Stormont): Australia won the toss and batted, 47 overs per side.
AUSTRALIA
J Burns c N O’Brien b Young 69
D Warner c Joyce b Murtagh 84
S Smith c N O’Brien b Thompson 21
G Bailey b Murtagh 1
G Maxwell c N O’Brien b McBrine 2
S Watson not out 26
M Marsh c Murtagh b Mooney 11
M Wade not out 2
Extras (b1, lb3, nb1, w1) 6
Total (for 6 wkts, 40.2 ovs) 222
Fall of wickets: 1-139, 2-165, 3-167, 4-170, 5-190, 6-214.
Bowling: C Young 6-0-49-1; T Murtagh 10-1-45-2; J Mooney 6-0-33-1; S Thompson 6-1-37-1; A McBrine 9-0-40-1; 3.2-0-14-0.
IRELAND (D/L target of 181 in 24 ovs)
W Porterfield b Starc 4
P Stirling c Wade b Coulter-Nile 0
E Joyce b Maxwell 44
N O’Brien c Burns b Maxwell 45
A Balbirnie c Couler-Nile b Cummins 12
G Wilson c Wade b Cummins 1
S Thompson c Wade b Starc 24
J Mooney run out (Bailyey) 0
A McBrine c Cummins b Coulter-Nile 7
T Murtagh not out 2
C Young b Coulter-Nile 0
Extras (b6, lb1, w5, nb1, pens 5) 18
Total (all out, 23.4 ovs) 157
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-7, 3-93, 4-106, 5-115, 6-137, 7-137, 8-155, 9-157.
Bowling: M Starc 5-0-34-2; N Coulter-Nile 4.4-0-13-3; P Cummins 5-0-19-2; M Marsh 3-0-26-0; G Maxwell 4-0-41-2; S Watson 2-0-12-0.
Australia won by 23 runs on Duckworth Lewis.
