Kevin O’Brien answered his critics on Sunday with his first international half-century since October 2019 as Ireland levelled the five-match T20 series against Zimbabwe with a seven-wickets win at Castle Avenue in Clontarf.
O’Brien top-scored with 60, from 41 balls with seven fours and a six, as Ireland chased down Zimbabwe’s 152 for five with nine balls to spare, George Dockrell finishing the match with successive fours off Richard Ngarava, the fastest bowler on either side.
Before he scored 25 in the first game of the series O’Brien had a top score of two in his previous seven innings for Ireland but he insisted it was a mental problem.
“Coming off a zero, zero, two in the last three innings [against South Africa] it is nice to start a series by spending some time at the wicket and, more importantly, it was good to get the win,” he said.
“At this stage in my career, I know how to play cricket, I know how to score runs at the top of the order, so for me it was getting into a mental space and try and block out all the noise and keep those people quite for a while.”
If there was ever any doubt, Ireland’s most capped player has now booked his place in the squad for the T20 World Cup in October. And as long as he and Paul Stirling are scoring runs at the top of the order, Ireland are capable of beating most teams.
Stirling hit 37 from 29 balls (five fours and two sixes) in the opening stand of 59 and O’Brien, who holed out to mid-off in the 16th over with just 24 required, and Dockrell saw Ireland home.
When Ireland reduced Zimbabwe to 64 for five at the start of the 11th over an Ireland victory looked as if it would be even more emphatic but Ryan Burl and Milton Shumba then produced an unbroken stand of 88 to give an Ireland team with only a super-over win in their last eight T20 internationals a tough examination.
There were career-best bowling figures for Ben White, who took his first wicket in his third game, and Shane Getkate – the only wicket-takers on the day – who finished with three for 20, bettered for economy only by Simi Singh.
The series now heads North with three matches in Bready on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
ZIMBABWE (won the toss)
W Madhevere c Rock b Getkate 21
T Marumani run out 11
R Chakabva c Stirling b Getkate 10
D Myers b Getkate 1
C Ervine lbw b White 15
M Shumba not out 46
R Burl not out 37
Extras (1b 5lb 5w) 11
Total (5 wkts, 20 ovs) 152
Did not bat: L Jongwe, T Chatara, W Masakadza, R Ngarava
Fall: 1-35 2-39 3-41 4-64 5-64
Bowling: C Young 4-0-34-0, B McCarthy 4-0-40-0, S Getkate 4-0-20-3, S Singh 4-0-19-0, B White 4-0-33-1
IRELAND
P Stirling c Chakabva b Burl 37
K O'Brien c Shumba b Chatara 60
A Balbirnie b Burl 5
G Dockrell not out 33
H Tector not out 5
Extras (4b 7w 2nb) 13
Total (3 wkts, 18.3 overs) 153
Did not bat: S Singh, S Getkate, N Rock, B McCarthy, C Young, B White
Fall: 1-59 2-77 3-129
Bowling: R Ngarava 3.3-0-34-0, W Masakadza 3-0-24-0, T Chatara 3-0-20-1, L Jongwe 3-0-26-0, R Burl 4-0-24-2, M Shumba 2-0-21-0
Ireland won by 7 wickets to level series at 1-1
