Ireland Ousts 2-Time Champion West Indies at T20 World Cup

Ireland knocked the two-time champion West Indies out of the Twenty20 World Cup in the preliminary stage and earned a spot in the Super 12s with a 9-wicket upset victory on Friday, reports AP.

Opener Paul Stirling scored 66 from 48 balls to guide Ireland to 150-1 in reply to West Indies’ total of 146-5, reaching the target with 15 balls to spare.

Stirling shared a 73-run opening stand with skipper Andy Balbirnie (37) to get the chase away to a positive start and then combined in an unbroken partnership of 77 with Lorcan Tucker, who capped an unbeaten 45 by hitting the winning boundary.

West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran won the toss and elected to bat at Hobart but his lineup didn't make the most of the ideal conditions, with Brandon King's 62 from 48 balls the only standout innings. It was a disappointing tournament for the West Indies, which opened with an upset loss to Scotland.

Spinner Gareth Delany took career-best T20 international figures of 3-16 in a tight, economical spell that frustrated the big-hitting West Indies batters.

“It's a dream come true. As a group we're ecstatic," Delany said. “Incredible day for us. To get over the line today, in the fashion that we did, is amazing."

All four teams in Group B were still in contention to advance with one win and one loss apiece going into the last day of the first round. Zimbabwe was playing Scotland in the later game in another winner-takes-all contest.

Former champion Sri Lanka and Netherlands finished first and second in Group A to advance to the Super 12 round, where they'll join the top eight ranked teams.