(Cricket news) George Dockrell gave the hosts a taste of their own medicine and Josh Little did the same with the ball, but their performances could not lift Ireland from slipping to defeat at the hands of the Jamaican Scorpions in a warm-up match at Sabina Park in Kingstown today.
The Men in Green had their tour schedule upended in late December due to the pandemic which led to the cancellation of a three-match one-day series against USA. Instead of a four-match preparation programme leading into this weekend, Ireland Men just had today’s encounter to work on their tactics.
Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie lost the toss and had to bat first. However, his stay was short, playing on from Nicholson Gordon for 13 in the sixth over. William Porterfield looked to hit the ball from the very start, top edging a six off Scorpions paceman Gordon Bryan, then emphatically pulling a maximum over the mid-wicket boundary two balls later. Gordon got his next wicket as Porterfield looked to glide a wide ball past gully, but picked out the gully fielder. Gordon again went through the batters up soon after the wicket of Andy McBrine (6) to leave Ireland reeling with the loss of 3-6 in 11 balls.
Curtis Campher (2) became the next one to fall Gordon, and Harry Tector fell for 11- Ireland was 69-5 in the 17th over as the run rate was slow as a snail and there were few wickets in hand. Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell began to counter-attack – Tucker looking the more flamboyant early on, the pick of his shots being an elegant glide off his pads for four through wide mid-wicket. Looking to continue his recent good run of form with the bat – after his back-to-back half-centuries in the T20I series against USA in December – Tucker fell for 17 nicking a wide ball while trying to guide the ball past slip.
At 100-6 it was Dockrell who then steered the ship. He joined with Simi Singh in a 50-run partnership to push the score towards a decent target, then partnered with Mark Adair for a 55-run stand to push the total over the 200-mark. Dockrell brought up his own half-century from 66 balls with a well-placed boundary through extra cover.
Singh (29), Adair (25) and McCarthy (15) tried their best to bring in runs, but when Gordon returned to the bowling crease he soon ended their time at the pitch and claimed his 5th wicket. Ireland had recovered from 100-6 to 234 all out, but would want an attacking bowling display to keep the home side out.
Josh Little had packed two special deliveries to remove both openers – the first angled in on a line from the left-armer that beat Kirk McKenzie for pace and hit the top of off, while the second went away from Leroy Lugg as a fine outside edge was caught by Tucker.
The Jamaican side were in trouble but West Indies international Brandon King (36) and Andre McCarthy (48) then combined for a 83-run third-wicket stand which came at a run rate that swung the match firmly in the favour of the Caribbean side.
McBrine got the breakthrough with the spectacular catch of King off his own bowling – running backwards at pace to grab a skied ball just inches from the ground, and Craig Young followed up in the next over removing McCarthy, but former West Indian captain Rovman Powell (82*) and Paul Palmer (33) then featured in a 94-run fifth wicket stand to lead their side to a comfortable victory.
Little was the top bowler with 3-21 from 7 overs and his third wicket of trapping Palmer by a yorker that was just determined to trouble the batter. The sides will play the 1st ODI on 8th January at Sabina Park where the rest of the matches will be played.
Match Summary
Ireland Men v Jamaica Scorpions, Warm-up match, Sabina Park, Jamaica
Ireland 234 (48.3 overs: G Dockrell 82, S Singh 29; N Gordon 5-34)
Jamaica 235-5 (38.4 overs: R Powell 82*, A McCarthy 48; J Little 3-21)
Jamaica Scorpions won by 5 wickets
Also read: Ireland moving on from US tour to heavy hitting Caribbean clash
