Ireland ease to T20 victory over Papua New Guinea

Gary Wilson steered Ireland to victory in the first of three T20 games against PNG

Gary Wilson hit six boundaries in a top score of 45 as Ireland cruised to a five-wicket Twenty20 win over Papua New Guinea in Townsville on Saturday.

Craig Young, Andy McBrine and Kevin O'Brien each took two wickets as PNG managed just 92-9 in their 20 overs.

Ireland were 30-3 before a stand of 53 between Wilson and O'Brien (19) helped them to 97-5 in just 12.1 overs.

It was the first in a three-game T20 series between the sides, with matches on Sunday and Tuesday to follow.

Wilson scored his 45 off 33 balls in the one-sided affair in Australia.

"It felt good when I was out there - I've been hitting the ball nicely so hopefully I can continue that form for the rest of the tour and beyond," Wilson told Cricket Ireland.

"It was a comfortable chase in the end, even though we lost a couple more wickets than we should have at the end of the innings.

"The bowlers set the tone very well, hitting the deck hard. The pitch was a little two-paced, so getting them for a low score was key."