Michael Bracewell rounded off New Zealand's crushing 88-run win over Ireland in the second T20 International (T20I) at Belfast on Wednesday with a hat-trick.
Ireland, chasing 180 to win, collapsed to 91 all out inside 14 overs at Stormont and were all but beaten when off-spinner Bracewell removed tailenders Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy and Craig Young with successive deliveries to become only the third New Zealand bowler to take a hat-trick at this level after pacemen Jacob Oram and Tim Southee.
HAT-TRICK! #MichaelBracewell breezes past Ireland tail. . .#IREvNZ @BLACKCAPS @cricketireland pic.twitter.com/aZNuFNiVHK Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi broke the back of Ireland's innings by removing Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell in a return of 3-21.
Had it not been for an eighth-wicket stand of 37 between Adair, who top-scored in the innings with 27, and McCarthy, Ireland might have suffered an even more crushing defeat.