Is this just what Ireland are? 

Tight end game doesn't mask familiar flaws as Ireland fall to the West Indies

In the end, Ireland worked past familiar flaws to take the game to the final over. It was a nail biter, but the West Indies came out on the right side.

That Ireland got within six runs, while improving the entertainment factor, only served to paper over some all too regular cracks. Ireland bowled reasonably well but dropped catches stalled efforts to kill the game off early. A positive enough start with the bat gave way to wickets and dot balls. The middle order struggled to keep up with the required rate. A winning position turned into a march towards defeat.

Today’s 6-run to the West Indies, while an improvement on Wednesday’s Pakistan performance, dramatically reduces Ireland’s chances of progressing to the ODI World Cup.

In some ways, Ireland took a step forward from their disappointing opening defeat. In others, they regressed. Six dropped catches cost them dear in the field, errors which didn’t creep into the game last time out. That said, regular readers will recall frequent analysis of the contagious nature of Ireland’s dropped catch malady.

How to cure a case of the drops?

It all started with Leah Paul putting down Qiana Joseph on the leg-side boundary. That wasn’t an overly costly mistake, Arlene Kelly holding on to a later chance which removed Joseph for just 4.

Ava Canning putting down a high, yet straightforward caught and bowled off Zaida James was more of an issue. She went on to make 36. Stafanie Taylor, who scored 46 runs, was dropped behind the stumps by ‘keeper Amy Hunter. Edges off a spinner are never simple.

Chenille Henry, who ended unbeaten on 46 off 36 deliveries, was dropped three times. Delany put her down on 1 off leg-spinner Cara Murray, running back from extra cover. Murray took her turn when Henry was on 12 off the bowling of Jane Maguire. Canning completed the Henry hat-trick - Ireland’s sixth drop of the day - when she barely got a hand on a steepler while running backwards. In between the clangers, Gaby Lewis held onto a chance, the Ireland captain throwing the ball away in disgust, as if to say to her teammates ‘That’s how you catch’. By the time Canning had her second drop, it looked like both she and Ireland had no interest in standing under another high ball.

The end result was West Indies reaching 181-6 off their 33 overs, rain shortening proceedings. This was not a massive total out of the reach of a Lewis or Prendergast century, but it was big enough to create tension given the recent history of middle order struggles.

If the catching imploded, Ireland’s initial effort with the bat was a significant improvement on the last day. Sarah Forbes was left out of the side, in all likelihood a response to her lack of intent against Pakistan. Amy Hunter was promoted atop the order. Her natural positivity was on show more readily than when coming in at number three, the burden of consolidating after an early wicket lifted. The context of a shortened game is important, but Ireland went from hitting only three boundaries in the powerplay on Wednesday to Hunter hitting four of her own in the first five overs today.

When the West Indies strayed wide of off stump, Hunter drove beautifully through the covers. When they drifted onto the pads, she flayed them through the leg side. Add in a late cut for good measure, while Lewis added a strong cut of her own. Don’t take unnecessary risks but accept the runs on offer. Punish the mistakes. Powerplay batting 101.

Then Hayley Matthews took the ball. She started the day threatening to take the game away from Ireland, effortlessly finding the boundary five times in 18 balls, all without offering a chance. Then she lost concentration, spooning the ball back to Orla Prendergast on her follow through.

She made up for her lack of runs with the ball. Lewis was bowled by one which spun back through the gate, a sensational delivery from the off-spinner operating around the wicket. Then Matthews exacted revenge on Prendergast, snaffling a caught & bowled chance of her own. Prendergast danced down the track, Matthews took all the pace off. The Irish batter was simply out-thought.

Hunter was still there. An eighth boundary brought her to 48, Ireland needing 107 off 18 overs with eight wickets in hand. Not easy, but eminently doable with Hunter and one or two support acts. Then Ireland’s ‘keeper went back to a fuller ball from leg-spinner Afy Fletcher. Stumps uprooted, and with them Ireland’s hopes.

Based on the evidence of the Pakistan game, the middle order was always going to struggle to stick to a required rate now approaching the run a ball mark. Delany (32) and Christina Coulter-Reilly (26) ensured the customary collapse was avoided. The end game proved to be tighter than anticipated, Kelly and Murray using a last wicket stand to bring the equation down to seven needed off five balls. Singles would have brought a super over but Kelly holed out to long-on. The entertaining finish did not mask the underlying issues.

These two defeats across three days are just a reflection of what this team is: a talented, yet still inexperienced and fundamentally flawed group. Disciplined bowling displays are regularly undone by chronic catching issues, while a lack of confidence in the middle order simply heaps more pressure on the top batters.

Mathematically, Ireland are not dead yet in this tournament. Three consecutive victories would be needed to have any hope, a task which, based on recent form, looks to be beyond Ireland’s current capabilities.