The onus of chasing 360 lay on the shoulders of Sterling and Tector and both contributed well in the game. But as they came closer to victory, both of them lost their wickets, it seemed that New Zealand were in full swing and Ireland were out but it was not. Ireland’s lower order continued to swing and bring the equation down to 10 in the final over, but Blair Tickner mustered his courage to deny the hosts at Malahide despite his highest ODI total.
Guptill got New Zealand off to a good start and scored his 18th century for New Zealand in the format before going for 115. Henry Nicholls got the chance to play freely from there and hit three sixes in his 54-ball knock of 79 runs to help the tourists post 361 runs for the win.
England vs India First ODI Highlights Kennington Oval
A record third wicket partnership of 179 runs between Sterling and Tector ensured that Ireland remained in the match and the match remained level.
Paul Stirling made 120 off 103 balls but was dismissed by Matt Henry in the 35th over. The 179-run partnership for the third wicket with Tector set a new record for Ireland in ODIs and No. 4 in impressive fashion. The five maximums were able to score the second century of the series for the youngster.
When Tector was dismissed for 108, the hosts’ hopes of victory looked bleak, but George Dockrell’s speedy 22 only kept him in his nerve-wracking battle for New Zealand and eventually restricted them to 359-9.
Now, the both teams will face each other in T20 series which starts from next week. It will interesting to see how Ireland makes a comeback after losing back to back close games.