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Ireland beaten but unbowed as they exit the Under-19s World Cup
An exceptional bowling display by a spin-heavy UAE side overcame a tiring Ireland side to win the Plate Final of the ICC Under-19s Men’s Cricket World Cup at the Queens Park Oval today.
Already equalling the best-ever finish by an Irish side in the Under-19s World Cup tournament – and having already achieved automatic qualification through final ranking to the next Under-19s World Cup – Ireland were brushed aside by a UAE side that had convincingly beaten West Indies in their last match and looked full of confidence going into today’s clash. For the Irish, this was the last match of a more than month-long tour, having departed Ireland over a month ago. The young side has played 12 matches in that time, often in 30-plus degree heat, and the experience will undoubtedly be to their advantage as they develop as senior cricketers in coming years.
After winning the toss today and choosing to bat first, Ireland weren’t able to repeat the batting heroics of their last match, succumbing for just 122 in the 46th over. Instonians’ Jack Dickson top-scored for the second game straight, today hitting 40 from a patient 83 balls, with a four and two sixes.
The Irish were seeking a partner to stick with Dickson to build a partnership, but regular wickets fell with the domination of the UAE’s spinners making it difficult for the batters to get a start. Philippe le Roux (14), Scott Macbeth (15), Liam Doherty (13) and Jamie Forbes (11*) got starts, but ultimately the Irish side failed to mount a sizeable enough total to defend.
The UAE batters, led by Kai Smith (49) and Punya Mehra (48*), took control of the run-chase and cantered to an eight-wicket win, claiming the UAE’s first piece of silverware at an international tournament.
The Irish side may have been beaten today but should remain unbowed. An unfancied squad by many at the outset, the young side went on to win three of their six tournament matches and finished the tournament’s 10th ranked side – the equal-highest position that Ireland has finished in this tournament’s history. While they may have initially dreamed of getting through the Group to the Super 8 stage, the side quickly regrouped after losses to India and South Africa to convincingly win consecutive Plate matches against Canada and Zimbabwe.
Not only can the squad leave the tournament with pride regarding their eventual ranking outcome, there were several players whose performances caught the eye – Josh Cox’s century against Uganda, Muzamil Sherzad’s 5-20 against Zimbabwe, Jack Dickson’s 78* and 40 in the last two matches, Philippe le Roux’s 83* against Canada, and Matthew Humphreys’ 12 wickets being just a few stand-out moments that Irish fans can reflect on fondly.
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland Under-19s Men v UAE Under-19s Men, U19 World Cup Group Stage, Trinidad, 31 January 2022
Ireland 122 (45.3 overs: J Dickson 40; J Giyanani 2-12)
UAE 128-2 (26 overs: K Smith 49, P Mehra 48*; J Forbes 1-32)
UAE Under-19s won by 8 wickets

NCU JUNIOR CUP 2022
(Sponsored by GMcG)

1st Round
A Lisburn II v Victoria
B Laurelvale v Drumaness Superkings
C Belfast v Larne
D Donacloney Mill II v North Down II

2nd Round
E C v B
F Monaghan v A
G CIYMS II v Donaghadee & Ards
H D v Downpatrick
I CSNI II v Holywood
J Instonians II v Muckamore II
K BISC v Dunmurry
L Waringstown II v Cooke Collegians

3rd Round
M E v F
N G v H
O I v J
P K v L

Semi-Final
Q M v N
R O v P

Final (Laurelvale)
S Q v R

Under-19 beat Zimbabwe
Muzamil Sherzad, a pair of unbeaten 70s and an earthquake shake Zimbabwe at the Under-19s World Cup
A sensational bowling display from Muzamil Sherzad, an unbeaten 159-run third-wicket partnership, and a 5.1 magnitude earthquake featured prominently in Ireland’s 8-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the Plate Semi-Final of the ICC Under-19s Men’s Cricket World Cup at the Queens Park Oval today.
The Irish bowling performance was dominated by the outstanding seam bowling of Muzamil Sherzad. Ireland’s 19-year old Afghanistan-born paceman who plays with North Kildare Cricket Club delivered a fearsome display as he blew away the middle and lower order with a mix of pace, movement and the odd short-pitched ball. Sherzad had claimed six wickets at 23.16 in his last three matches in this tournament, but has seen is bowling average plummet to 14.45 with his five-wicket haul today.
Sherzad, though, wasn’t the only thing that struck at the Queens Park Oval today, with a 5.1 magnitude earthquake shaking the ground mid-way through the Zimbabwe innings. The commentary team, that featured Irishman Andrew Leonard, bravely continued commentating with good humour as an assessment was made of any potential damage to the historic ground that has stood on the site since 1896.
Prior to Sherzad’s interventions into the Zimbabwean batting line-up, bowling honours had certainly gone to Lisburn’s left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys. The tweaker had eight wickets in the tournament before today, including 4-25 against Uganda, and takes his tally to 11 – equalling Sherzad for Ireland’s highest wicket-takers at this world cup. Humphreys not only used his angle superbly, angling from around the wicket to right-handers and taking the ball away, he also varied his pace to great effect. His second wicket, bowling a quicker ball that skidded through the defences of Steven Saul and upset the stumps, was the stand out dismissal.
The Zimbabwean batters failed to stitch together consistent partnerships, but still eked out a total of 166 that would be defendable on a pitch that was expected to take turn later in the day. The Bennett brothers – Brian and David – top scored with 37 and 35 respectively, but the Irish bowlers never let the African side to get too much momentum at any stage.
In the run-chase Ireland lost Nathan McGuire (6) and Josh Cox (0) early, but Jack Dickson and captain Tim Tector came together to – firstly – stabilise the innings, then push on to build a superb, unbeaten 159-run third-wicket stand.
Tector was outstanding. Having only scored 40 runs in his previous four innings in the tournament, he looked confident from the outset, determined to lead his side to what was eventually a comfortable victory. He struck 8 fours and a six in a knock of 76* that swung the match firmly into Ireland’s grasp. When he came to the crease his side was 10-2 facing a tricky run-chase. However, the YMCA top-order batter looked like he was batting on a different pitch to almost everyone else, striking multiple boundaries through the off side and a big six over the mid-wicket fence.
Like Tector, Dickson hadn’t had the World Cup he wanted – with 14 and 0 his only two innings so far. The Instonians batter dug in early and ground out an innings of true quality, becoming more elaborate in his shot-making as his innings went on. He struck three sweetly-timed maximums on the way to his 78* off 88 balls – finishing the match with a big straight six, followed by a driven four to clinch the win.
The win today means Ireland Under-19s will automatically qualify for the next Under-19s World Cup in 2024.
Ireland’s next match – the Plate Final - will be against UAE on Monday. This will be the second Under-19s Plate Final Ireland has made, but their first Plate win if successful.
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland Under-19s Men v Zimbabwe Under-19s Men, U19 World Cup Group Stage, Trinidad, 29 January 2022
Zimbabwe 166 (48.4 overs: B Bennett 37, D Bennett 35; M Sherzad 5-20, M Humphreys 3-32)
Ireland 169-2 (32 overs: J Dickson 78*, T Tector 76*; T Mataranyika 1-31)
Ireland Under-19s won by 8 wickets

Just wondering has any consideration being given to making Saturday 28th May a free date ? It’s NI Centenary Day and in terms of parades will be as big as the 12th of July from what I’ve heard .
Maybe give clubs the option to play those games on Sunday 22nd May

United Arab Emirates and Ireland booked their places in the Plate semi-finals as the next stage of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup got off to a thrilling start in Trinidad and Tobago.
UAE survived a dramatic batting collapse to edge past Uganda by one wicket and set up a clash with either host nation West Indies or Papua New Guinea in the next round. And Philippus le Roux was Ireland’s hero, digging in for a vital unbeaten 83 to help his side post a total which proved comfortably beyond Canada.
Ireland will now meet the winners of tomorrow’s clash between Zimbabwe and Scotland while Canada join Uganda in the Plate play-off semi-finals.
Le Roux leads Irish charge
A fine unbeaten 83 from Philippus le Roux set Ireland on their way to a 94-run victory over Canada, who remain in search of their first victory of the competition.
Canada started well with the ball, Ethan Gibson taking two early wickets – including danger man Joshua Cox, who struck a century against Uganda in the group stage – to reduce Ireland to 34 for three.
Le Roux arrived at the crease to begin the rebuilding job but soon lost the company of his captain Tim Tector (15) as Canada continued to apply pressure.
When Gibson (three for 36) returned to clean bowl Matthew Humphreys for a duck, Ireland were in trouble at 90 for seven but le Roux continued to stand firm. He added 48 with Jamie Forbes (25) and struck 12 boundaries in all as he carried Ireland to 179, at which point he ran out of partners 17 short of a century.
Canada were quickly on the back foot in reply, falling to 12 for three as Reuben Wilson removed both openers. Kairav Sharma (19) and Gurnek Johal Singh (15) were the only batters to reach double figures as wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, with all the bowlers chipping in.
Wilson was the pick of the attack, finishing with three for 18, while Forbes claimed two for two as Canada were bowled out for 85 with 20.4 overs unused.
Wednesday 26 January matches
Super League Quarter Final – England v South Africa, Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua
Plate Quarter Final – Zimbabwe v Scotland, Queens Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago
Plate Quarter Final – West Indies v PNG, Diego Martin Sporting Complex, Trinidad and Tobago

Ireland's Paul Stirling and Simi Singh both named in ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year
Paul Stirling and Simi Singh have both been named by the International Cricket Council in the Men’s ODI Team of the Year this morning.
Stirling, who last week stood in as Ireland captain and led the Men in Green to the celebrated series win over West Indies, made 705 runs in 2021 in ODI matches at an average of 79.66. This included three centuries and two half-centuries, and he finished top run-scorer worldwide in the format.
Singh, who excelled with his off-spin bowling and made several valuable contributions with the bat, picked up 19 wickets in ODI matches at an average of 20.15, which included one five-for. With the bat he hit 280 runs at 46.66, including a century against South Africa at Malahide which went down in the record books as the first-ever century by a batter coming in at eight in ODI cricket.
Stirling said:
“It’s a nice way to close the chapter on 2021 being named in this team of the year. It was pleasing that the hard work put in with Graham Ford has paid off. You are always looking to improve as an international sportsman so to have probably my most successful year in an Ireland shirt to date was extremely satisfying and gives me a benchmark to try and surpass in years to come.
“I would say the highlight for me was scoring so heavily in one tour in January. I had just come from Sri Lanka where I had really struggled for form and rhythm so to be able to turn that around in a few weeks has given me a lot of confidence when future runs are hard to come by. Of course the T20I hundred at Bready against Zimbabwe was a memorable one too, it’s always nice being able to raise the bat in front of your home support.”
Singh said:
“It’s great to be recognised at the highest level and to be named among the top players in the world is a surreal feeling. Wining against South Africa, scoring my maiden ODI ton, taking my maiden ODI five-for, hitting a maiden ODI fifty in the same year was pretty special personally.”

HISTORIC WIN FOR IRELAND
Ireland Men have won their first-ever one-day international series away from home over an ICC Full Member after recording a two-wicket victory over the West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston today.
For the third time in succession, Ireland won the toss and chose to bowl first. Stand-in captain Paul Stirling named an unchanged line up for the match, however, the early exchanges did not go to script for the Men in Green. Shai Hope – who had under-performed so far in the series with scores of 17 and 29 – went on the attack, blasting balls to all areas of the ground. Hope was particularly aggressive with Josh Little, feeding off the extra pace and width on offer.
He brought up his half-century off just 37 balls, with 9 fours and a six, but just as he threatened to take the game away from Ireland he mis-timed a hook shot from a Craig Young bouncer and was caught by Josh Little at fine leg.
That dismissal brought about a middle-order collapse with West Indies losing 7-57 in the next 17 overs. Young claimed two wickets, but the chief destroyer was off-spinner Andy McBrine. Fresh off his Player of the Match 4-25 in the last ODI, McBrine was again hitting the right areas from the off. He had Nicholas Pooran and Shamarh Brooks both trapped in front, and set a leg slip trap for a lunging Kieron Pollard, who dutifully edged a ball to William Porterfield who claimed a diving catch.
George Dockrell chimed in for a wicket to snare the dangerous Romario Shepherd – Dockrell’s 150th List A wicket – and the home side’s innings was seemingly adrift at 119-7 in the 28th over.
It was then that former West Indian captain Jason Holder took the reins – he and Akeal Hosein put on 63 for the eighth wicket in a face-saving stand for the Caribbean side. Holder played across the line of the ball repeatedly but effectively as he hit six boundaries, and was looking comfortable moving into his 40s, but he took on the arm of an outfielder one too many times and was run out going for two. Gareth Delany with a superb flat throw from deep square leg and Neil Rock’s quick hands catching the tall Barbadian all-rounder short of his crease.
Big-hitting Odean Smith threatened to let loose again after his 19-ball 46 in the last match, carving out 20*, but when Alzarri Joseph fell for 6, the West Indian side were bowled out for 212 in the 45th over - the third time in the series Ireland has dismissed the home side before they batted out their allotted overs. This is the first time Ireland Men have bowled out a Full Member in three successive matches.
Bowling honours once more went to Andy McBrine – the Donemana off-spinner finished with 4-28 from 10 overs. McBrine’s series haul of 10 wickets at 11.6 apiece was an excellent return. Having lost fellow spinners Simi Singh and Ben White for the series due to Covid infections, Ireland needed McBrine to stand up – and that he did, with two four-wicket hauls the last two matches.
The North West bowling contribution in this series wasn’t only McBrine’s return - his North West Warriors teammate Craig Young claimed three wickets in each of the three matches of the series at 15.66 apiece to also play a key role.
With 213 the target, Ireland lost opener Porterfield from the first ball of the innings – upper-cutting a ball from Joseph that flew straight to Hosein at Third.
While the West Indian side undoubtedly were buoyed by the early breakthough, Stirling sought to wrestle back momentum with a quickfire 44 from 38 balls. Aided by the more circumspect McBrine, the pair put on 73 for the second wicket from 77 balls. The interim captain played several of his classic shots – a flick off his pads for four, a flat bat lofted off drive over cover for four, and a majestic swivel pull shot over the square leg boundary for six just to highlight a few.
However, looking certain to register his 27th ODI half-century, Stirling missed a tossed up ball by spinner Hosein and was trapped in front. Given not out, the bowling side sought a review, which shortly after saw the Irish skipper walking back to the pavilion.
McBrine was joined by the in-form Harry Tector, and the pair settled in to ensure no cluster of wickets would ensue. Tector, who has scored six half-centuries in his last nine innings, looked assured as he stroked the ball through the off side and off his pads. McBrine looked increasingly confident as his innings grew and he brought up his second career ODI half-century from 89 balls. Shortly after, the left-handed McBrine flashed at a bouncing ball outside off stump and edged through to the keeper, out for 59, but the platform had been well-and-truly set.
Tector registered his third half-century of the series, but in heart-in-the-mouth fashion, a clatter of wickets fell late on with Ireland going from 190-4 to 208-8. It was nervous times for all Ireland’s fans as Mark Adair and Craig Young stood at the crease. Fortunately, Young steered the winning runs away to the boundary off Shepherd and the Men in Green had won their first ODI series win away from home against a Full Member.
ANDY McBRINE said...
“Player of the Series means a lot personally, but I’m firstly jus trying to contribute what I can to the team.”
After the match, PAUL STIRLING also said:
“We’re delighted, it’s not every day we go on away trips and turn over a side like the West Indies. Really proud of the lads that we can go 1-nil down in the series and come back to win the next two games and take the series. We may have been fortunate to win the toss three times, but we still had to go out and perform, so we’re delighted. We’re a pretty tight unit, we always have been, it’s one of our strengths.
“Harry Tector has been amazing – his consistency over his last 10 knocks has been outstanding, we hope he can continue that, but it’s not a time to put pressure on him. He has so much potential, it’ll come down to how much he wants it, and I think he does want it.
“Andy McBrine epitomises what an Irish cricketer should be – the heart he shows. It’s not easy to come back from being hit on the head, but he showed commitment and passion to help win us the game today – that partnership was key with Harry today, and all off the back of his bowling which has been magnificent.”
MATCH SUMMARY
West Indies Men v Ireland Men, 3rd ODI, Sabina Park, Jamaica, 16 January 2022
West Indies 212 (44.4 overs: S Hope 53, J Holder 44; A McBrine 4-28, C Young 3-43)
Ireland 214-8 (44.5 overs: A McBrine 59, H Tector 52, P Stirling 44; A Hosein 3-59)
Ireland Men won by 2 wickets

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – An unbeaten century by Player of the Match Joshua Cox and a four-wicket haul from Matthew Humphreys headlined Ireland Under-19s Men’s victory over Uganda by 39 runs in their first ICC Under-19s Men’s Cricket World Cup match today.
The South African-born Cox, 18, looked sparkling in his square of the wicket shots today (see video). He brought up his half-century off 61 balls, then blasted a pull shot to the boundary for his century off 111 balls – which was also the third-last ball of the innings.
Cox, who holds an Irish passport as a dual citizen and has Irish great-grandparents on both sides of his family, hit scores of 44* against Sri Lanka and 28* against Scotland in the two official tournament warm-up matches, with today continuing his run of ‘red-inkers’ in the last three matches for the Irish Under-19s. His innings today featured 8 fours and a six – he is only the fourth Ireland Under-19s batter to have scored a century at an Under-19s World Cup after Eoin Morgan, Paul Stirling and Harry Tector.
The Irish side batted solidly for their 236-9 from 50 overs, albeit with two key partnerships that drove the scoring forward – a 99-run 5th wicket stand between Cox and Philippe le Roux (32) and a 47-run sixth-wicket stand between Cox and Scott Macbeth (22).
With 237 the target, the Irish bowlers struck early and always kept the Ugandan run chase in check. The left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys, who plays club cricket for Lisburn, impressed taking 4-25 from 10 overs, while Rush’s spinning all-rounder Nathan McGuire finished with an economical 2-29 from his 10 overs
Ugandan captain Pascal Murungi hit a well-compiled 63, but his side were eventually bowled out for 197 in the 49th over.
Ireland Under-19s will next face India and South Africa in their remaining Group Stage matches, with both fixtures to be shown live on Sky Sports in Ireland / UK.
After the match, Josh Cox said about the century:
“It’s an amazing feeling, first game of the World Cup, it’s a dream come true. I always felt I had enough time to do it, and I just trusted the batters up the other end they could help me get there.”
About the bowling performance:
“Our spinners are our strength, and I thought they bowled well today – if they keep putting in performances like that then we’ll get the results.”
About facing South Africa next week:
“I’m extremely excited, I know a lot of the guys – I’ve known them a long time and played against them. I can’t wait to play them, it should be a really fantastic occasion.”
MATCH SUMMARY
Ireland Under-19s Men v Uganda Under-19s Men, U19 World Cup Group Stage, Guyana, 15 January 2022
Ireland 236-9 (50 overs: J Cox 111*, P le Roux 32; J Baguma 2-34)
Uganda 197 (48.1 overs: P Murunga 63; M Humphreys 4-25, N McGuire 2-29)
Ireland Under-19s won by 39 runs

Ireland and West Indies are back for the third World Cup Super League match on Sunday at the same ground.
MATCH SUMMARY
West Indies Men v Ireland Men, 2nd ODI, Sabina Park, Jamaica, 13 January 2022
West Indies 229 (48 overs: R Shepherd 50, O Smith 46; A McBrine 4-36, C Young 3-42)
Ireland 168-5 (32.3 overs: H Tector 54*, A McBrine 35; A Hosein 2-51)
Ireland won by 5 wickets

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Cricket Ireland (CI) have announced the changes to the match schedule for the ongoing CG Insurance One-Day International Series.
The second CG Insurance ODI will now be played on Thursday 13 January, with the third and final CG Insurance ODI on Sunday 16 January at Sabina Park. First ball is 9.30am local time (2.30pm Irish time).
The rescheduling occurred following five COVID-19 positive cases, as well as injuries in the Ireland camp leaving the Ireland squad depleted ahead of the 2nd CG Insurance ODI which was originally was scheduled for Tuesday, 11 January. As a consequence the one-off CG Insurance T20 International has been cancelled to allow for this revised schedule and to avoid impact on the West Indies team’s travel plans and subsequent fixtures.
These ODI matches form part of the ICC World Cup Super League with both teams having the opportunity to win points to be one of the top seven teams, excluding hosts India, to gain automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
West Indies lead the three-match series 1-0 following their 24-run victory in the first CG Insurance ODI on Saturday.
Live coverage is available on ESPN Caribbean in the West Indies and BT Sport in Ireland as well as with CWI’s broadcast partners around the world.
REVISED MATCH SCHEDULE (at Sabina Park)
January 8: 1st CG Insurance ODI – West Indies won by 24 runs
January 13: 2nd CG Insurance ODI (9.30am local time / 2.30pm Irish time)
January 16: 3rd CG Insurance ODI (9.30am local time / 2.30pm Irish time)

Joint statement by Cricket West Indies and Cricket Ireland on postponement of 2nd CG Insurance ODI
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Cricket Ireland (CI) issued a joint statement after two further positive COVID-19 cases were reported in the Ireland camp following recent testing, and two players being ruled out due to injury, resulting in Ireland having a severely depleted squad.
The second CG Insurance One-Day International scheduled for Sabina Park on Tuesday, January 11 has therefore been postponed.
CWI and CI are in discussions to review the match schedule and are working to explore all possibilities for the series to be completed.
The five members of the Ireland team who have returned positive COVID-19 results remain in isolation under the care and supervision of the medical teams.
Further updates will be provided as soon as possible.

West Indies Men v Ireland Men, 1st ODI, Sabina Park, Jamaica, 8 January 2022

West Indies 269 (48.5 overs: S Brooks 93, K Pollard 69; M Adair 3-38, C Young 3-56)
Ireland 245 (49.1 overs: A Balbirnie 71, H Tector 53; R Shepherd 3-50)

West Indies won by 24 runs

MATCH SUMMARY

Ireland Men v Jamaica Scorpions, Warm-up match, Sabina Park, Jamaica, 5 January 2022

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

Wishing you a happy and peaceful 2022. Above all stay safe in this strange world.

Clarence Hiles and John Kerstens

Ireland Men's USA tour cut short after remaining matches cancelled
USA Cricket and Cricket Ireland have jointly agreed to the cancellation of the one-day international leg of the Dafabet USA v Ireland Men’s International Series over COVID-related concerns that have emerged today.
In the meantime the Ireland Under 19 squad has arrived in Barbados and trained at Police CC, Weymouth, this afternoon. A pep talk was given by the famous Barbados cricketer Henderson 'Hendy' Wallace who played in Ireland for over 22 years.