The fifth warm-up match of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier got underway at Bulawayo Athletic Club as the USA came head-to-head against Ireland for the first time in ODI cricket. The game was concluded on June 15 which saw a massive run feast. It was a very entertaining match where scintillating fireworks were on display as both teams managed to score in excess of 300 runs each.
However, the USA team ended up on the losing side despite putting up a herculean performance. But let us not take anything away from the young USA side who managed to turn some heads by challenging a full member nation. They will take a lot of positive takeaways from this game as they make their way to the do-or-die league phase of the tournament.
Let us preview some of the top performances and shed light on how our young team fared on day one of the 2023 WC Qualifier.
Strong Batting Performance From The Top Order Propel USA To A Commanding First Innings Score
USA had a very good outing with the bat. Both the top-order and the middle-order chipped in with some sizable contributions with the bat. Steven Taylor and Sushant Modani made an ideal start by registering a solid 65-run stand for the first wicket at a fairly decent rate. They were soon dismissed in quick succession as USA later slipped to 78/2 in no time by the end of the 18th over.
Right when the momentum appeared to shift Ireland’s way, the skipper Monank Patel along with Aaron Jones got into the attack and started thwarting the Irish bowling attack. The duo added a colossal 127-run stand for the third wicket and got Ireland past the 200-run mark within 40 overs. Aaron Jones (89 off 87 balls) emerged as the highest run scorer followed by Monank Patel who scored 77 off 69 balls at a lightning strike rate of nearly 112. Ben White was the man to break the flourishing partnership. Saiteja Mukkamalla arrived at the crease later and together with Gajanand Singh, they scored a brisk strike rate as they shared 6 boundaries between them and ensured that USA end their first innings on a high with a commanding total of 312 on board.
Ireland bowlers were at the receiving end as their figures were tarnished by the likes of Monank Patel, Aaron Jones, Steven Taylor, and Saiteja Mukkamalla to name a few. Josh Little and Graham Hume bowled really well up front and conceded only at 4.45 RPO while picking up a wicket each. Ben White was impressive too as he picked up the vital wickets of Modani and Patel when the two were going on song. The rest of the bowling unit suffered a terrible hammering as all of them went over 7 RPO with little to no wickets to their name.
Ireland Fought Back Riding On The Contributions From Tector & Tucker
USA got off to a dream start with the ball. Saurabh Netravalkar and Kyle Phillip delivered a big blow to the Men in Green, reducing Ireland to 7/2 inside two overs. A long way away from the target, Ireland lost Stirling in the middle of the 18th over as he was dismissed by Nisarg Patel pushing Ireland further into a spot of bother at 94/3.
At this stage, USA bowlers were right on top. Irish batters were struggling to come to terms with the required run rate. USA bowlers unleashed a relentless attack on Ireland which pushed their backs against the wall. Just when things started to slip away from Ireland’s grasp, Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker did the unthinkable. The counterattack from the duo helped them put on a staggering 122-run stand for the fourth wicket in just 96 balls. This partnership proved to be a deciding factor in the game as the USA bowlers failed to contain their aggressive strokeplay. Tucker was eventually dismissed by Steven Taylor for 68 in 59 balls but the damage was already done. Curtis Campher played a robust cameo of 21 in 16 deliveries to get his side close to the finishing line. But by the time he was dismissed, Ireland only required 39 runs in 10 overs. Tector made a mockery of this target and blasted his way to a scintillating knock of 149 runs in 123 balls which included 10 fours and a whopping 7 sixes. He was unbeaten through the second innings and stayed till the end to hit the winning runs for Ireland.
It turned out to be a demoralizing defeat for USA. After getting off to a good start with the ball, USA allowed the game to slip away from their grasp during the middle overs. Saurabh Netravalkar was the only US bowler who looked the most threatening of the lot achieving figures of 1/25 in his seven overs. Other bowlers did not have a very promising outing and erred on the costly side giving away a lot of easy runs during the middle and latter stages of the game.
What To Follow
USA will take on Sri Lanka in their next warm-up game on June 15. Overall, the team fared well in the first warm-up match. But it was their bowling that led them down a little bit. They will come head-to-head against yet another tough opponent and will need to strengthen their bowling attack ahead of the league stage of the tournament.
Brief Scores
U.S.A – 312/6 (Jones 89, Patel 77, White 2-56, Little 1-33)
Ireland – 315/5 (Tector 149, Tucker 68, Netravalkar 1-25, Taylor 1-42)
End Result: Ireland beat USA by 5 wickets with 29 balls to spare