da marjack bet： Eyeing a famous win over New Zealand for much of the match, Ireland eventually fell by three wickets
Andrew McGlashan14-Feb-2006
ScorecardThis tournament has come close to producing an upset on a couple of occasions beforethe favourite has squeezed through, and today Ireland appeared to be en route to inflict a heavy defeat of New Zealand. Eoin Morgan’s outstanding 124 powered Ireland past 300 and when their opponents were 150 for 4, with the asking rate over eight, the Irish were eyeing a famous win. However, a display of hugely powerful hitting from Tim Southee, and a determined 87 from Andrew de Boorder, carried New Zealand across the linein a blaze of boundaries, with four balls to spare.The pair took advantage of an attack that wilted under the heat andagainst the onslaught, regularly finding the rope and often going over it.In a strange decision from Morgan he refused to bring back his strikebowler, Niall McDarby, who had taken 6 for 50 against England earlier inthe tournament, until the game was well within New Zealand’s grasp.Although McDarby did strike late on, it was not enough to steal the matchback at the end. Ireland will be ruing a couple of missed chances,including a vital stumping against de Boorder when he was on 16. However,nothing can be taken away from Kiwi comeback.It was an extraordinary display from Southee, who was pencilled in to batat No. 9 and had been taken for 71 in his ten overs. Following hisscorching 92 from 54 balls he said he had been sent out with alicense to have a swing. “The coach came to me and said `put your pads on’so I went in higher than usual. There were a few dot balls to start withbut then I found the middle of the bat. It was case of working in 20-runblocks and eventually we got there.”Although the heat has been a factor throughout the tournament -deBoorder needed a runner for cramp – today was the toughest so far for theplayers. Southee said they were the hardest conditions he had never playedin. de Boorder’s innings was a vital foil and he showed real determinationto battle through cramp. Realising he would find it difficult to clear theropes, he fed his partner the strike who had no such problems.Morgan was distraught following the defeat, and with every reason afterplaying one of the finest innings of the tournament. “We thought 304 wouldhave been a winning score,” he said. “We didn’t field as well as we can; acouple of saved boundaries here or there would have made the difference.”His 124 was studded with crunching strokes off front and back foot, whichshowed the class that has earned him a place on the Middlesex staff. Onthe evidence of this knock it won’t be long until he is joining his fellowcountryman, Ed Joyce, and forming an Irish middle order at Lord’s.Morgan’s stand of 160 with Andrew Poynter, whose 75 became ratherovershadowed, put Ireland on course for their imposing total. New Zealand were also careless in the field, while all the bowlers – except for Supersub Hamish Bennett – suffered on the flat and easy-paced pitch.When Bennett struck with consecutive deliveries to remove FintanMcAllister and Gary Wilson, a bright Ireland start was threatening toevaporate. Morgan, though, stood firm to repair the damage, then began tocut loose. The conditions were so draining that he barely had the energyto drag himself off the pitch after falling towards the end of theinnings.As he raised his bat around the ground he must have thought he’d doneenough to put Ireland on course for a memorable scalp. As New Zealand wentthrough a round of high fives and back-slapping with their batting stars,the dejected Irish faces told a different story.