Spinning Shah Has Luck Of The Irish In England Win
Unlikely heroics from part-time spinner Owais Shah spared England’s blushes as they overcame Ireland by three runs yesterday at Stormont.
Just four players who featured in the Ashes-clinching Oval Test featured in the rain-hit One Day International.
Set 116 from 20 Overs on Duckworth/Lewis method Ireland lost openers William Porterfield and Niall O’Brien in Tim Bresnan’s first two overs.
Precocious teenager Paul Stirling struck the home side back into contention from number three with 30 off 26 balls, including four 4s and a six.
Needing 60 to win, Stirling chipped a simple return to debutant leg-spinner Adil Rashid but Ireland were still in the driving seat.
Stand-in skipper Paul Collingwood turned the screw by reverting to slower bowlers on the low, wet track in Belfast.
Needing 42 from the last nine overs, Ireland sniffed an upset but struggled to get the spinners away, especially Shah.
Shah had John Mooney, promoted up the order, stumped by Prior before having Regan West caught by Bresnan. Alex Cusack was the Middlesex man’s third scalp.
With Ireland needing 17 from the final over, the responsibility again fell to Shah to hold his nerve.
That he did, with pinch-hitting Trent Johnston left stranded with 20 not out of fifteen balls, playing his hundredth match for Ireland.
Earlier England set a meagre 203-9 in poor batting conditions; debutant Joe Denly underlined his potential, top-scoring with 67.
Johnston removed Ravi Bopara for a duck at the top before trapping Oval centurion Jonathan Trott leg before, also for a duck, on his way to 4-26.
A fluent 29 from Matt Prior; 21 from Shah and a breezy 36 off 26 balls from Luke Wright added a veneer of respectability to the Three Lions’ total.
Hat Tip to BBC Sports.
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