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Ireland International Matches
Ireland beat Malaysia by 9 wickets
ICC Trophy, Nairobi, 20 February 1994
Scorecard
Derek Scott

An easy win and so Ireland qualified for the Quarter Finals in 2nd place in the Group which Holland won. Just before this match started Ireland were notified that Papua New Guinea's protest (in the first match) had been rejected. Warke and Curry went home the day before this Malaysia match. Jackson was still unfit. Rea replaced Cohen and P. McCrum was the other player left out, Ireland now having only 14 players.

Malaysia won the toss and batted on a pitch which was a little damp. Malaysia had one previous win beating Gibraltar by 134 runs, D Talalla scoring 112*. 110 is all that Malaysia managed in 48.2 overs. Six fours were hit and the highest stand was 25 for the 6th wicket. All five of Ireland's bowlers did well and 10 maidens were bowled. Hoey got his zip and bounce back. His 4 for 18 won him his second Man-of-the-Match Award. As usual Harrison opened the bowling with Nelson and it was the former who took the 1st wicket. In his 3rd over Seagaran was smartly stumped on the leg side by Millar. At 18 Nelson, in his 6th over, had D Ramadass caught behind. At 33, Harrison, in his last over, gave Millar a hat-trick of victims with a ball which turned and left Seah.

Talalla and Menon added 20 but Hoey took the next 4 wickets in his 4th, 7th and last overs. In fact he took two wickets in this ultimate over - all 4 wickets were unaided, 3 bowled and one caught and bowled. The score was now 90 for 7. Hoey was not yet out of the game. At 97 he caught Seluaratnam at long off, C McCrum being the bowler. Next over, the 43rd, Moore, who had come on for Hoey, clean bowled Tan Kim Heng whose 28 off 45 balls was Malaysia's highest score. The last pair put up the 100 in 43.2 overs. After a further 10 were added Lewis ran out the No. 11

Between the innings the Holland -v- Papua New Guinea match was monitored. If PNG won Ireland would need to look to a run rate. Holland had been 84 for 4 but recovered to 212 for 5. It was calculated that to keep ahead of PNG on run rate Ireland would have to beat Malaysia in about 23/24 overs, assuming PNG overhauled Holland (they did not).

8 overs were bowled before lunch. Benson and Rea. put on 17 but Rea (8) fell on the last ball. He was bowled by Menon trying to cut a ball that was too far up and too near him. Benson was now 8*. The post lunch play lasted for 16.3 overs during which Benson and Graham put on 94 in 52 minutes to win the match. 50 came up in 16.1 overs and 100 in 23 overs. The match was won in 24.3 overs. Malaysia used 4 bowlers, 3 of them spinners. Benson used a wide range of shots, hit 2 sixes and 7 fours, faced 66 balls in 77 minutes. He made 66 of the 94 run stand with Graham.

Graham played second fiddle to Benson but justified his elevation to Number 3, scoring 27* from 51 balls.