T20 World Cup: Two-time champions West Indies knocked out of the tournament by Ireland

West Indies on Friday suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Ireland in Round 1 of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022. West Indies lost the game by 9 wickets in their last group-stage encounter at Bellerive Oval Stadium in Hobart. The defeat knocked the two-time champions out of the marquee ICC event and cleared the way for Ireland to go through the Super 12 stage. 

West Indies knocked out of T20 World Cup 2022

Batting first, West Indies scored 146/5 in 20 overs with Brandon King smashing a magnificent 62 off 48 balls. Johnson Charles also contributed to the total as he scored 24 off 18 balls. Gareth Delany picked a three-wicket haul for Ireland, while Simi Singh and Barry McCarthy scalped one wicket each. Ireland then chased down the target in just 17.3 overs with 15 balls remaining. 

Ireland's veteran batter Paul Stirling remained unbeaten at 66 off 48 balls, which he scored with a strike rate of 150.00. Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie scored 37 off 23 balls before he was dismissed by Akeal Hosein. Lorcan Tucker then joined Stirling in the middle to finish the chase for Ireland in style with a huge six as he too remained unbeaten at 45 off 35 balls.

Ireland reach Super 12 of T20 World Cup in Australia

This was Ireland's best-ever performance in the T20 World Cup after having qualified just once during the 2010 edition in England. Ireland are most likely to join Group 2 in the Super 12 stage with India, Pakistan, South Africa, and Bangladesh in the mix.

Image: Twitter/T20WorldCup