Clinical New Zealand pick up 190-run win

The glaring difference between 27/0 and 4/1 after four overs summed up the difference between New Zealand and Ireland in the fifth One-Day International of the tri-series aptly. New Zealand got off to a flier, Ireland stuttered. New Zealand picked up a 190-run win and Ireland were bowled out for 154 in a chase that they were never in on Sunday (May 21) at Malahide in Dublin.

If Tom Latham, the New Zealand skipper and opener, led from the front with a stellar century, Ireland lost Paul Stirling in a steep chase of 345 in the second over after a maiden in the first with the scorecard reading 1 for 1. William Porterfield resisted the New Zealand attack with Ed Joyce in a 51-run stand whose motive was keeping Ireland in the chase, albeit slowly, but steadily. Joyce and Porterfield did that in a stand that spanned 8.3 overs, and did rather well bringing up the rate of the partnership to a run a ball. Corey Anderson then did in Joyce and Andrew Balbirnie with ones that angled across that the pair had no answers to, dealing Ireland with a double blow.

Mitchell Santner found much turn and bounce to trouble the Irish batsmen who seemed lost once Porterfield exited after Adam Milne took a good catch in the deep, followed by Niall O'Brien in the same over, with half the side back in the dressing room. Gary Wilson (30) stuck around, as did the tail that wagged impressively adding 78 - two more than what their top order had managed. Matt Henry picked up three going for 4.50 an over, while no other New Zealand bowler conceded over 4.

It was Ireland's last chance to make an impression in the tri-series that they were hosting after having no wins under their belt in the three games they played so far. New Zealand asserted their dominance on the Irish bowlers putting up as many as five fifty-plus run-stands in their innings.

Luke Ronchi kickstarted the innings with a cut over the slips for a boundary off the first ball from Craig Young, who was brought in in place of Kevin O' Brien. Young's stray lines ended up being taken for two more boundaries as he conceded 12 runs in the first over. George Dockrell was summoned in to stem the run flow, but Ireland's length and widths allowed the New Zealand openers to take full advantage as they raced away to 70 in no time, ending the powerplay on a high - the most scored in the first ten overs in the series.

With the field spread out after the first ten, Young was recalled and he struck rightaway. He bowled a faster one which was too good for the batsman to pick out. The fuller delivery crashed into the stumps as Ronchi departed for 35 off 31 balls. Neil Broom continued his good form in the series, adding a 75-run stand with his skipper as the pair kept the run-rate hovering around the six-run mark before Broom holed out to mid off, chipping to Ed Joyce who obliged.

Ireland pulled things back, and well, as Latham and Ross Taylor were stifled for runs by Barry McCarthy and Simi Singh. Taylor in particular, found it tough to get going at the start with the ball failing to connect to the degree that he would have liked, but hung in there to eventually to reach another half-century. Latham was handed a life when on 89 being caught in the deep, but having the bowler, Chase, overstep. The skipper went on to score a century, but fell soon after as Ireland struck back with some quick wickets and curtailing the run flow.

The pair of Taylor and Anderson failed to score any boundaries for about five overs with the latter seemingly struggling with his timing. Simi and McCarthy continued to keep things tight as Ireland did well to come back into the game at a point where 350-plus looked plausible. Paul Stirling's over, the 44th of the innings, however, turned things around when Taylor smashed three successive boundaries to reach his half-century. Ireland, thereafter, were leaking singles, conceding boundaries and couldn't pare down Colin Munro's intent as the batsman brought New Zealand right back into the contest and took them over the 300-run mark.

Overs 43 to 48 fetched New Zealand 75 runs, with the 50-run stand between Munro and Santner coming off just 19 balls with boundaries raining off Munro's bat. Not just boundaries, though, as rain came tumbling down. McCarthy, who had conceded 33 in 8 eight overs until then, had figures of 1 for 65 in his 10. Simi was the pick with 1 for 38 in 10 while the others all conceded over 6.50. Munro departed six short of a half-century, after successive sixes, falling for 44 off 15 balls. Santner (20 off 9) himself deposited a few to the boundary and the late cameos meant New Zealand neared 350, but fell six short, with 122 being scored in the last 10.

New Zealand will face Bangladesh on May 24 in the last ODI of the series.

Brief Scores: New Zealand 344 for 6 in 50 overs (Tom Latham 104, Ross Taylor 57; Peter Chase 2-69) beat Ireland 154 in 39.3 overs (William Porterfield 48, Gary Wilson 30; Matt Henry 3-36) by 190 runs.