Ireland v Scotland T20 series: Hosts level series after comfortable win
- Published
Gaby Lewis fell three runs short of a half-century
Second Twenty20 International, Stormont: |
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Ireland 137-4 (20 overs): G Lewis 47; McGill 2-26 |
Scotland 76 (16.4 overs): McGill 19; Paul 4-16, Prendergast 2-19, Delany 2-11 |
Ireland won by 61 runs |
Ireland beat Scotland by 61 runs in Tuesday's second Twenty20 international to comprehensively level the series.
After a low-scoring defeat on Monday, opener Gaby Lewis hit 47 to set Ireland on their way to a strong 137-4.
Leah Paul took four wickets as Ireland bowled out the Scots for 76 with 20 balls to spare at Stormont.
The third match between the sides is scheduled for Wednesday and the final game on Thursday will round out the four-game series in Belfast.
The match, which was originally set to open the series on Sunday but was pushed back to Tuesday because of bad weather, took place in sunny and cool conditions as Ireland stepped up to the crease first.
Rebecca Stokell powered the first ball over mid-wicket for four, before both she and captain Laura Delany, on the day she became Ireland women's most-capped T20 player, fell in quick succession.
Opener Lewis hit six boundaries on her way to 47 from 39 balls in a Player of the Match performance while partner Shauna Kavanagh struck a solid 31 for the hosts.
Having lost both Lewis and Kavanagh within the space of an over, the Scots sensed a way back into the match, but Orla Prendergast (24) and Lara Maritz (16) put on 43 runs from the last 42 balls to finish the home side's innings at 137-4 from their 20 overs.
Ireland strike early
Ed Joyce's side immediately went about dismissing Scotland and got the perfect start when Prendergast bowled Becky Glen on only the second ball, which set the tone for the visitors' innings.
Left-arm spinner Paul was in strong form as she ended the match with 4-16, one run shy of Ciara Metcalfe's Irish record in women's T20s, as Kathryn Bryce and Katie McGill were the only two Scottish batters who made double figures, on 17 and 19 respectively.
A wicket from the second ball in the Scottish response seemed to foretell the story of how the rest of the game would play out. Only two Scottish batters made double figures as the Irish side rammed home their advantage - bowling tight lines, holding every catch and looking exceptionally sharp in the field.
Prendergast secured the victory with more than three overs to play when she yorked Samantha Haggo as Scotland finished on 76 from 16.4 overs.
With the series, which is Scotland and Ireland's first outing since September 2019, now locked at 1-1 with two matches remaining, the two sides will play the third match at Stormont on Wednesday.
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