Ireland 97 for 5 (Wilson 45, Vanua 3-26) beat Papua New Guinea 92 for 9 (O’Brien 2-10, Young 2-15, McBrine 2-17) by five wickets
Scorecard
File photo: Gary Wilson stroked a 33-ball 45 to lead Ireland’s small chase © ICC/Sportsfile
Fourteen wickets fell and only 189 runs were scored in Townsville, with Ireland powering past Papua New Guinea by five wickets. PNG, after being inserted, lost wickets right from the off and struggled to string together even a single meaningful stand, as Craig Young, Andy McBrine and Kevin O’Brien all struck at regular intervals. Only three players managed single-digit scores, and just six boundaries were scored throughout the entire innings, as PNG limped to 92 for 9.
Ireland did not make the most convincing start to the chase, losing three wickets inside four overs, but Gary Wilson (45) and O’Brien’s 53-run stand put the team back on track. Ireland eventually got home in the 13th over, with 47 deliveries to spare. Norman Vanua was the pick of the PNG bowlers, collecting 3 for 26.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo