NZ vs IRE, T20 World Cup 2022: The ongoing tournament which is being played in Australia has been a perfect endorsement of the shortest format of the game. As unpredictable as the format is, the tournament has been a joyride so far with 10 teams still fighting it out for the final four spots. Both the groups have been very competitive and as the tournament heads to its business ends, things are certainly expected to spice up a bit more. New Zealand are playing Ireland and it is certainly not one-way traffic.
In a high-octane match that is being contested at the Adelaide Oval, New Zealand are trying to get through to the next round, the semi-final stage, whereas the Irish are trying to contain them and better their chances of qualifying for the final four. Ireland won the toss and in a brave move decided to field first. New Zealand somehow managed to crawl their way back and posted a total of 185/6 at the end of 20 overs, but it was their left-arm fast bowler Joshua Little who garnered all the headlines owing to a memorable performance. The 23-year-old Irish claimed his first World Cup hat-trick as he ended up dismissing Kane Williamson, Jimmy Neesham, and Mitchell Santner. In his quota of 4 overs, Little conceded 22 runs and bowled at an economy of 5.50.
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After his dream spell, Little opened up and said:
Time for another upset in the World Cup
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The Irish team have been playing extremely well this year and they as of of now have 3 points from 4 matches. If they somehow manage to defeat New Zealand, it will be yet another upset in the ongoing tournament.
New Zealand XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Ireland XI: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Fionn Hand, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little
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