Sport

Lorcan Tucker notches back-to-back 50s as Ireland level T20 series

Pembroke man stakes claim for permanent slot at three as Ireland avenge opening loss

Lorcan Tucker notched his highest ever international score in a winning effort. Photograph: USA Cricket

Fri Dec 24 2021 - 10:28

Ireland 150 (18.5 overs)(Lorcan Tucker 84; Saurabh Netravalkar 3-33) defeat the USA 141-7 (20 overs) (Sushant Modani 27; Curtis Campher 4-25) by nine runs.

A fluent 84 from Lorcan Tucker to go with a spell 4-25 from Curtis Campher have seen Ireland respond to their surprise USA defeat to level the two-match T20 series.

Tucker posted his second half-century of the series, staking a big claim to stay at number three even when Gareth Delany returns from isolation for the T20 series against the West Indies next month.

Tucker struck nine fours and three sixes in a 56-ball stay that held together the Irish innings and helped post a defendable target. It was his highest international score, passing his 83 against Afghanistan in an ODI last January.

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In the USA reply, Campher bowled an aggressive spell, effecting a run out from his own bowling to claim the first wicket before capturing four wickets - three coming in his last over, the 18th of the innings.

After losing the toss and being sent in to bat under the lights, Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie and opening partner Paul Stirling looked to try and set a more positive tone for the Irish batting unit, with Stirling striking the first ball to the boundary. However, just five balls later Ireland’s talisman was adjudged LBW, out for 5.

Balbirnie clattered two boundaries through the off-side from the next two balls from Saurabh Netravalkar, but fell hooking a short ball for the second match in a row, out for 10.

Tucker then took control of Ireland’s scoring. Where his last innings was one of tentative shot play and accumulation, this one saw him more fluent in his strokeplay. Resuming his battle with the US paceman Ali Khan from the last match, Tucker struck Khan for a lofted six over mid on and a chipped shot off his pads over square leg for four from Khan’s first over to show his clear intent.

The Pembroke and Leinster Lightning batter brought up his second half-century in consecutive matches from 32 balls, and looked comfortable throughout.

Less, though, his teammates with Ireland beginning to lose wickets at regular intervals. Where Tucker timed the ball well, and scored at a strike rate of 150 over his innings, the Irish middle order seemed to struggle to find the boundary once again with only Curtis Campher (17) and Simi Singh (13) reaching the fence in the rest of the innings.

Tucker’s lone hand had its moments of good fortune - being dropped twice - but he rode his luck and even looked set to threaten a possible century before falling in the penultimate over of the innings trying to reverse sweep a yorker from Netravalkar.

Ireland’s 150 was looking 10-15 runs below on this high-scoring ground, and would a more disciplined bowling display than the previous defeat was needed to level the series.

Ryan Scott was promoted to open the US innings and immediately set to work striking two boundaries in the first Mark Adair over. However, a brilliant piece of fielding off his own bowling saw Campher run Scott out for 11.

Ritwik Behera was caught by Shane Getkate at fine leg off Adair for 16, and captain Monank Patel - after a quick flourish - fell for 26 to give Ben White his first wicket, Adair with the outfield catch.

Gajanand Singh, who hit a Player of the Match-winning 64 on Wednesday, again looked confident in compiling 23 from 20 balls, but fell leg before to Campher just when he was looking set to launch another late innings attack.

With the run rate required climbing steadily towards 12 an over, Adair delivered an excellent display of death bowling, taking the pace off the ball and conceding just four runs from the 16th over.

The 18th over by Campher was a mixed bag to the extreme - a no-ball six, a second six, and then three wickets in five balls separated by a wide saw USA needing 28 from the last two overs. Barry McCarthy and Adair held their nerve to bowl out the final 12 balls, and Ireland were victorious by 9 runs. The series finished level at 1-1.

Tucker, named Player of the Match and Player of the Series for his 141 runs across the two matches, said:

“It was great to get an opportunity to bat that high in the order - I haven’t batted at three in T20s for Ireland before. Yesterday was the first game I had played in a while and I felt a bit scratchy, but I felt more comfortable, and played more fluently today.

“When it’s only 150 on the board and a ground with small enough boundaries, you want to take your chances and I think we did that really well in the field. We took wickets at key moments and closed the game out really well.”

Captain Balbirnie praised the group for fighting through another performance that wasn’t up to the desired standards to still come away with a win:

“The fighting spirit we wanted was there today - it still wasn’t a great performance but we got over the line and we showed that character that we want to instill into the group.

“We have a lot of T20 cricket coming up, and a World Cup qualifier soon where we’ll need to take a look at ourselves and see where we can improve, but Lorcan was outstanding - he didn’t think he’d be batting three at the start of the series but he’s someone we think is an exciting cricketer and I thought that was really impressive innings today.

Lorcan Tucker