CRICKET-LEAD Lewis, Hope blast Ireland bowlers to power Windies to series-winning victory

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Evin Lewis scored a masterful 91 off just 44 balls

BREADY, Ireland, CMC – Openers Evin Lewis and Shai Hope provided the West Indies’ platform with a historic batting performance to propel them to an emphatic 62-run victory over Ireland in the third and final T20I here on Sunday.

Player-of-the-Match Lewis fell nine runs short of a third T20I century, while Hope, the captain, hit 51 runs off 27 balls, as the West Indies posted a mammoth 256 for five from their 20 overs – their second-highest T20I total – after being sent in to bat at the Bready Cricket Club.

Ireland then put up a valiant effort in their run chase but ultimately fell short, ending on 194-7 off their 20 overs.

The victory sealed a much-needed 1-0 win for the visitors in the three-match series after the first two matches were rained out.

It was set up by a sensational opening partnership of 122 in 10 overs between Lewis and Hope, which gave the visitors the upper hand from the get-go.

Hope, promoted after regular opener Johnson Charles was left out, didn’t take long to find his groove, smashing pacer Ben McCarthy for two fours and a six in the third over as the West Indies raced to 26 without loss.

Lewis took a while longer to find his timing, but when he eventually did, he bludgeoned pacer Mark Adair for two sixes in the ensuing over.

Liam McCarthy, making his T20 debut for Ireland, was given a rough initiation by both batters, who hit him for a combined two sixes and two fours in his opening over, which went for 21 runs.

Two more huge sixes off the bowling of spinner Ben White took Lewis into his 40s.

Ireland missed a glorious opportunity to dismiss Lewis shortly after, but Harry Tector put down a regulation catch coming in off the cover boundary.

He responded by hitting Liam McCarty over the ropes on the very next delivery to bring up his half-century off 29 balls in an over that leaked 24 runs.

Hope brought up his milestone soon after, hitting White down the ground for another six to reach his 50 off 23 balls.

Ireland got the much-needed breakthrough when Brian McCarthy had Hope caught at long-on after he had smashed four sixes and four fours to leave the score 122 for one after 10.3 overs.

Lewis continued his assault on the home side’s bowlers, hitting White for two consecutive sixes and a four to end the 12th over.

Rovman Powell made just two before he was stumped off the bowling of Matthew Humphreys, and one run later, Lewis skied the same bowler to give captain Paul Stirling an easy catch at cover to be out for 91, as the West Indies slipped to 152 for three in the 13th over.

In all, he struck eight sixes and seven fours during his 63-minute stay at the crease.

Keacy Carty, making his T20I debut, then scored an impressive, unbeaten 49 from just 22 balls, inclusive of four sixes and four fours, while Romario Shepherd finished on 19 not out from just six balls with three sixes in an unbroken partnership of 37 runs from just nine balls.

Humphreys was Ireland’s best bowler with 2-16 from his four overs, while Liam McCarthy recorded Ireland’s most expensive T20I figures of 0-81 from his four overs.

Ireland started brightly, with Stirling hitting Akeal Hosein for three boundaries in the opening over.

But Holder had Stirling caught at slip in the next over, and he should have had the wicket of Ross Adair a few balls later, but Alzarri Joseph put down the catch running back from mid-off.

For the next 10 overs, Adair and Tector put the West Indies bowlers to the sword during a 101-run partnership that threatened to take the game away from the visitors.

However, once Roston Chase trapped the latter lbw for 38 off 25 balls, Ireland lost three wickets for two runs, including that of Adair for 48 off 36 balls, to slump to 116 for four.

Mark Adair entertained the home crowd in his innings of 31 from 14 balls, but by then, the result was long decided.

Hosein finished with 3-27, while Jason Holder took 2-49 for the West Indies.

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