(Cricket news) An outstanding innings of 65 from 42 balls by Gajanand Singh lead USA Men to overcome a poor start and power home over a “lacklustre” Irish side in the first T20I of the Dafabet USA v Ireland Men’s International Series.

Playing in only his fifth T20I, the 34-year old Guyanese-born batter hit five sixes and three fours in a 52-minute hammering on the visiting bowlers. The powerful leftie was helped by some wayward bowling lines from the Irish bowlers that drifted too frequently to Singh’s favoured legside, and the batter obliged by clearing the ropes four times between square leg and mid-wicket.

Singh was supported well by T20I debutant Sushant Modani who made 50 from 39 balls – the pair hit a 110-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The partnership was a much-needed ‘rescue job’ after the home side had started poorly, losing four wickets inside the first five overs, with Ireland’s Barry McCarthy the chief destroyer taking three of the early wickets. 

Ireland sensed a way back into the match with Singh’s departure – tickling a Ben White quicker ball through to the keeper Neil Rock, but at 126-5 with just over four overs remaining the New Zealand-born T20I debutant Marty Kain smashed a quickfire 39* from 15 balls to ensure the US finished with a highly competitive total of 188-6. In fact, it was the momentum generated through the last five overs that proved decisive in the end – the home side hitting 72 from the last 30 balls to take the game away from Ireland. McCarthy claimed the last wicket to finish with his T20I career-best figures of 4-30.

Needing a quick start from the new opening ball, the new opening partnership of Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie started with intent – captain Balbirnie slapping a boundary through cover off his first ball, and Stirling playing a powerful cut shot to the boundary a few balls later.

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However, USA speedster Muhammad Ali Khan struck first, tempting Balbirnie into a hook shot and he holed out at deep square leg.

Stirling then stepped up the pace and looked threatening with three slashing off-side boundaries from spinner Kain’s first over, but just as the Belfast-man’s innings looked to gather speed he was beaten playing a pull shot by a ball from paceman Saurabh Netravalkar that kept low and was out for 31 off 15 balls.

Lorcan Tucker, playing at No.3 for the first time, looked to dig in, and received some support from Curtis Campher (17) and Shane Getkate (19), but as the overs passed the boundaries dried up and the run rate required increased significantly.

Neil Rock (7) and William McClintock (9) lost their wickets chasing quick runs, and while Tucker picked up his first T20I half-century with 57* from 49 balls, the Irish batters looked forlorn in the last five overs, finishing on 162-6 from their 20 overs.

The USA take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series, with the two sides returning to the same venue tomorrow evening for a day-night encounter that should see a buoyant local crowd turn out.

After the match, Captain Andrew Balbirnie said after the positive start, it was “pretty brutal stuff by us and not good enough”. He offered that there was an element of “rustiness”, but stated that “we can’t start like that”, saying that he believed “the intent was there, but we just didn’t execute”.

Match Summary  

USA Men v Ireland Men, 1st T20I, Broward County Stadium, Florida, 22 December 2021 

USA 188-6 (20 overs: G Singh 65, S Modani 50; B McCarthy 4-30)

Ireland 162-6 (20 overs: L Tucker 57*; S Netravalkar 2-26)  

USA Men won by 26 runs