Ireland claimed another famous victory at Sabina Park last night with a dramatic two wickets win over West Indies giving them their first one-day international series success overseas.

One-off victories against England and South Africa were satisfying but a second successive win against the Windies in their own backyard was something else.

In the end it was a nervous finale as Ireland lost four wickets for 18 runs but Craig Young cut Romario Shepherd to the backward point boundary for the winning runs with five overs to spare.

Once again it was Harry Tector, with considerable help from Paul Stirling and Andy McBrine who masterminded this historic win.
Stirling, dropped before he had scored – after William Porterfield was out to the first ball of the innings – cashed in and hit 44 from just 38 balls with five fours and a six, dominating a stand of 73 in just 13 overs with McBrine.

The North West Warriors skipper got off the mark with an inside edge from his first ball but then played out 26 balls before he added to score. But his patience was rewarded as McBrine went onto only his second 50 for Ireland, six years after his first.

It looked as if Tector would see them home and he duly went to a remarkable seventh half century in his last 10 ODI innings, but with Ireland 16 short of victory, he missed with a reverse sweep – the first he had attempted in the whole series – and was given out leg before. He asked for a review but the television replay confirmed the correct decision.

He was replaced by Gareth Delany who hit his third ball to the backward point boundary and his fourth way over the mid-wicket fence for six to leave Ireland with just six to win. Straightforward – you must be joking!

Inexperience then took over, as Delany, attempting to win the match in style, skied his next ball to backward point and forced Mark Adair to join George Dockrell in the middle.

Dockrell was out two balls later without addition to the total, caught at slip off slow left armer Akil Hosein and suddenly Mark Adair and Craig Young were in the middle, both on nought. Fortunately, there were no further alarms.

The Ireland bowling was much improved on their winning performance on Thursday with McBrine again the leading wicket-taker and for the second game in a row, named man of the match, and also player of the series. Only a deserved fifth wicket was missing and he was denied it by a drop catch by Curtis Campher off big hitting Odean Smith.

That cost 14 runs and when Craig Young, who claimed another three-wicket haul, dropped Jason Holder, off Stirling, at backward point and that cost another 14 runs.
In the end it couldn’t stop another famous day for Ireland cricket.