Ireland v West Indies: Record opening stand sees tourists rout hosts by 196 runs

John Campbell hit 15 fours and six sixes in his spectacular innings

A record opening ODI partnership of 365 between John Campbell and Shai Hope helped West Indies earn a thumping 196-run win over Ireland in Clontarf.

Campbell (179) and Hope (170) were just five runs short of the record ODI stand, set by Windies pair Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels in 2015.

The Irish attack was routed as Campbell and Hope hit eight sixes and 37 fours in the West Indies' total of 381-3.

Ireland were out for 185 in 34.4 overs as Kevin O'Brien top-scored with 68.

Ireland decision to put Windies into bat backfires

The hosts gave England a scare on Friday but their bowlers endured a chastening experience in Dublin two days later after Ireland skipper William Porterfield had opted to put the visitors into bat.

The decision to field first backfired, although Campbell escaped a run-out attempt with the first ball of the match.

Records kept tumbling as the openers thrashed the Irish attack to all parts of the ground.

Even the normally economical Tim Murtagh was on the receiving end of punishment as he finished with figures of 0-71 from his 10 overs.

It was the first time both West Indies openers made centuries in the same game and at 306 it became the biggest first-wicket partnership in ODI history.

They were smashing their way towards the Gayle and Samuels record when Campbell was caught by the Irish skipper on the boundary.

Kevin O'Brien's inning of 68 did little to lift the Ireland mood at Clontarf

Hope became Barry McCarthy's second victim in four balls and captain Jason Holder was dismissed for just one from the final ball of the innings.

Any remote hope of Ireland fighting their way back into the contest evaporated as the early dismissals of Paul Stirling, William Porterfield and Lorcan Tucker left the hosts on 21-3.

The Irish regrouped to move to 152-3 with Andrew Balbirnie having to leave the field to undergo a scan before returning after being hit on the head by a delivery from West Indies seamer Shannon Gabriel.

However, O'Brien's dismissal, after hitting seven fours and a six, saw the Irish innings fold as they lost their final seven wickets in only 7.4 overs.

Ashley Nurse finished with impressive figures of 4-51 for the tourists with Gabriel taking three wickets - including dismissing Balbirnie following his return.

West Indies will be back in action in the Tri-Nations series against Bangladesh on Tuesday at Malahide with Ireland's next contest in the competition against the Tigers at the same venue on Thursday.