![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770823869_809_James_Wallace.png\")
James Wallace<\/p>\nKey events<\/p>\n
Show key events only<\/p>\n
Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n
James Wallace<\/p>\n
That\u2019s it from me, the OBO will return with more World Cup action.<\/p>\n
In fact, you can tune into England v West Indies right here, right now. Ta-ra!<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Stand in Australian Captain Travis Head speaks:<\/p>\n \u201cNice start. Renshaw and Stoinis\u2019 partnership in the middle was really good. Kept us going. Zampa was exceptional in the second innings. Ellis is the leader of the attack, so great to see him stand up. Conditions seemed tough today, they might be different in two days\u2019 time. We hit a lot of twos in the backend, attacking hard through the whole way.\u201d<\/p>\n Stand in Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker speaks: <\/p>\n \u201cStirling took a bit of a knock on his knees while taking a catch in the first innings. He was brave going out there. We probably didn\u2019t start as well as we would have liked. The spinners did pretty well to put us back in the game. I think maybe 150-160 was in our mind, the way we were set up we could have gone after that. Plenty of things can happen. We have to stay competitive and keen.\u201d<\/p>\n Player of the Match Nathan Ellis (4-12) speaks:<\/p>\n \u201cThere wasn\u2019t much swing or seam there, so that just dictates what I go with (on bowling delightful those slower balls) When I decide to go pace on, I try to bang it in. Otherwise I try to keep my arm speed as same as possible and create a big difference between arm speed and bowling speed.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A very commanding performance from Australia, especially given their captain Mitch Marsh was declared unfit minutes before the toss. They were sensible with the bat, scampering plenty of twos when the boundary couldn\u2019t be found to post an above average total on a wearing pitch. Nathan Ellis and Adam Zampa were sublime with the ball, both ended up with four wickets apiece and provided T20 masterclasses in pace and spin bowling.<\/p>\n Ireland are staring down the barrel now after their second loss in as many games, their captain Paul Stirling looks an extreme doubt for the rest of the tournament too \u2013 retiring hurt after one ball having looked like he pulled his hamstring quite badly.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll post some post match reaction shortly. In the meantime, Daniel Harris is tuning up the tools to bring you England v West Indies from Mumbai:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Barry McCarthy c Green b Ellis 2 (Ireland 115-9) Australia win by 67 runs<\/p>\n Nathan Ellis returns for his final over. He razed Ireland\u2019s chances with his sublime variations earlier in the piece and he finishes the job now too! McCarthy plinks to Cam Green at midwicket and that\u2019s that, Australia win by 67 runs.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 16th over: Ireland 112-8 (Humphreys 1, McCarthy 1) Zampa nearly gets Humphrey\u2019s with his first ball to take his haul to five but the umpire says no and DRS confirms it was sliding down. Still, what a spell from Australia\u2019s mystery man \u2013 4-23 from his four overs.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Mark Adair c Connolly b Zampa 12 (Ireland 111-8)<\/p>\n Zampa strikes again to pick up his fourth wicket. Adair heaves into the deep but can\u2019t clear the ropes or Cooper Connolly. One more needed for Australia, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll see Paul Stirling attempt to bat with his injured hamstring.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! George Dockrell st Inglis b Zampa 41 (Ireland 110-7)<\/p>\n Dockrell launches Zampa down the ground but the wily spinner has the last laugh, floating the next ball wide to evade an advancing Dockrell, Inglis whips off the bails with the batter stranded.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 15th over: Ireland 104-6 (Dockrell 35, M Adair 12) Mark Adair gives it some humpty, up and over cover and a cut past point for four more. Fourteen runs off the over and the hundred up for Ireland.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 14th over: Ireland 90-6 (Dockrell 32, M Adair 1) Zampa has 2-15 from his three overs and will be eyeing up Ireland\u2019s tail. Mark Adair joins Dockrell, he can hit a long ball. Ireland need a relentless cavalcade of boundaries – 93 runs required from 36 balls.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Lorcan Tucker c Connolly b Zampa 24 (Ireland 89-6)<\/p>\n Zampa breaks the partnership, tossing one up and Tucker can\u2019t resist going for the big shot. Not enough on it and swallowed by Connolly in the deep.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 13th over: Ireland 87-5 (Tucker 23, Dockrell 31) Matt Kuhnemann finishes with 1-29 from his four overs despite being clubbed for a SIX over the leg side by Dockrell.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 12th over: Ireland 80-5 (Tucker 22, Dockrell 25) Ten off the over as Tucker and Dockrell dig in but the game is done as a contest. Glenn Maxwell pulls off a neat save on the boundary but then signals immediately to the dugout, hopefully just some strapping needed for his fingers.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.37 EST<\/p>\n 11th over: Ireland 70-5 (Tucker 22, Dockrell 15) Nathan Ellis returns. He beguiles once again, mixing up his pace and proving impossible to hit. Just four runs off the over.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 10th over: Ireland 66-5 (Tucker 19, Dockrell 14) Tucker trots out of his crease to turn a Connolly full ball into a full toss, threading through the covers for four. It\u2019s nice but it\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 9th over: Ireland 58-5 (Tucker 12, Dockrell 13) Dockrell is a good player of spin. He lofts Zampa down the ground and then rocks back to club a slower ball through midwicket for four more.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 8th over: Ireland 47-5 (Tucker 12, Dockrell 2) Connolly twirls and whirls through another over, just four runs off it. Nowhere near enough for Ireland.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 7th over: Ireland 43-5 (Tucker 10, Dockrell 0) George Dockrell joins Tucker and Zampa finishes the over with a dot. Ireland need eleven an over from here and only have four wickets left with Stirling hamstrung.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Gareth Delany c Inglis b Zampa 11 (Ireland 43-5)<\/p>\n Adam Zampa into the attack. He\u2019ll be a handful on this surface. Sure enough there\u2019s an lbw call against Tucker right away but the review shows it hit the batter outside the line of off stump and umpire Richard Illingworth can stay with his original decision.<\/p>\n Gone! Zampa sends down a flighted ball, Delany attempts a huge heave across the line and gets an under edge that is smartly snaffled by Inglis behind the sticks. This could all be over very soon, Ireland\u2019s net run rate will be taking a pummelling too.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 6th over: Ireland 40-4 (Tucker 9, Delany 11) Matt Kuhnemann into his third over and finally Ireland get some respite and find the fence courtesy of a couple of lusty blows from the blade of Gareth Delany. A four and SIX down the ground, the second of which clatters into the sight screen.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 5th over: Ireland 28-4 (Tucker 8, Delany 0) It\u2019s a wicket maiden from Nathan Ellis. A masterclass of T20 bowling – slower balls, short balls, cutters and full and fast. He has 3-5 from his two overs!<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Ben Calitz b Ellis 2 (Ireland 27-4)<\/p>\n Another one to Ellis! He goes full pace this time and a bit of extra bounce sees Calitz get an under edge and chop onto the stumps. Ireland are in pieces.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 4th over: Ireland 27-3 (Tucker 8, Calitz 2) Tucker climbs into a length ball from Kuhnemann and deposits down the ground for SIX. Brief respite for Ireland.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 3rd over: Ireland 18-3 (Tucker, Calitz 0) Lorcan Tucker and Ben Calitz have a heck of a rebuild job on their hands.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Curtis Campher c Green b Ellis 4 (Ireland 17-3<\/p>\n Ellis strikes again with the slower ball! Campher is suckered this time, plinking a catch to Green at midwicket. Ireland are effectively 17-4 with Stirling retired hurt. Carnage in Colombo.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Ross Adair b Ellis 12 (Ireland 13-2)<\/p>\n What a peach! Ellis completely flummoxes Adair with a slower ball first up, the ball floats out of the back of the hand, Adair is so confuddled he\u2019s on the back foot and the ball ploops into his middle stump!<\/p>\n Did I mention this week\u2019s Spin was all about the art of the slower ball? That was a very fine example.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 2nd over: Ireland 13-1 (R Adair 12, Campher 0) Curtis Campher joins Adair in the middle\u2026<\/p>\n (Yes that is an ellipsis of doom\u2026)<\/p>\n Share<\/a>WICKET! Harry Tector c Green b Kuhnemann 0 (Ireland 13-1)<\/p>\n Matt Renshaw has just dropped an absolute goober! Adair plinks a simple catch to cover but Renshaw is almost beaten by the slowness and puts it down. Wow. You don\u2019t often see a catch so simple shelled at this level.<\/p>\n Adair takes a single to get off strike. Tector then launches into the off side but doesn\u2019t time it\u2026 Cameron Green settles underneath the ball and takes the catch. That\u2019s how you do it Matthew. Poor shot from Tector and he drags himself off the field.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 1st over: Ireland 11-0 (R Adair 11, Tector 0) Ross Adair is not messing about though, a bunt over mid off for four is followed by a crisp drive down the ground that is timed all the way for SIX. Great shot. You\u2019d think Ireland won\u2019t go down without a fight here. Eleven off the first over and the dramatic retirement of Stirling.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.40 EST<\/p>\n Paul Stirling retires hurt<\/p>\n Paul Stirling and Ross Adair come out to open the batting for Ireland. Xavier Bartlett starts with the ball for Australia. Stirling clips off his toes and sets off for a single\u2026 OH NO! Stirling has pulled a hamstring setting off for the single and he can\u2019t continue. A huge blow to Ireland\u2019s hopes, Stirling hobbles off and grimaces in pain. He retires hurt so could technically come back later if the match goes down to the wire but that is terrible for Ireland and Stirling in this match and for the latter probably the tournament too.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Australia will look to bowl spin and go pace off with the ball in hand. Good job someone has just written this week\u2019s Spin column all about the slower ball eh?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n In case you missed it, there was quite a match over in Ahmedabad this morning:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Australia set Ireland 183 to win in Colombo<\/p>\n 20th over: Australia 182-6 (Connolly 11, Bartlett 11) Australia end strongly and Ireland will have it all to do on a spinning, used pitch. Connolly swipes Adair\u2019s slower ball for SIX and Bartlett squirts a bonus under edge for four to make it 13 runs off the final over.<\/p>\n It is hot out there, Connolly has a brief word with the tv crew on the way off and is absolutely dripping in sweat, shades of the pilot in Airplane. \u201cI felt like I could have done with another pre-season out there\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 19th over: Australia 169-6 (Connolly 3, Bartlett 6) Ten off McCarthy\u2019s over, big Barry has had an expensive day, 0-37 from three overs. It\u2019s definitely a pitch for pace off bowling in Colombo. Bartlett shows brute strength to muscle a length ball down the ground. Australia\u2019s score is already an imposing one\u2026<\/p>\n