Ireland fall to nine-wicket defeat to world champions Australia

A strong team bowling performance followed by a pair of key hands from Beth Mooney and Meg Lanning gave Australia a nine-wicket win over Ireland in the second game of the T20I Tri-Series in Bready.

After the first game of the series, between Australia and Pakistan, had been unable to reach a result due to rain, the second fixture arrived with the weather set fair.

Australia, reigning world champions in both ODI and T20 cricket, won the toss and elected to bowl first, and immediately set about their work, Gaby Lewis hitting Megan Schutt to deep midwicket for a duck in the first over.

Orla Prendergast's stay at the crease was short but sweet, with two sumptuously driven boundaries off Tahlia McGrath the highlights of her innings. She was one of two wickets to fall in Darcie Brown’s second over, Prendergast and captain Laura Delany both bowled as Brown showcased her electric pace.

Rebecca Stokell, having opened the innings, had just three runs off seven balls to her name at that point, having watched three wickets fall from the non-striker’s end. She took it upon herself to up the ante, driving and cutting Schutt for a pair of boundaries in consecutive balls, guiding Ireland to 26-3 by the end of the powerplay.

Alana King, fresh off taking three wickets in her only over against Pakistan, was soon into the action, and took only four balls to strike, Rachel Delaney pinned lbw. Mary Waldron resisted for a time, ticking over the strike for seven, but when she and Stokell both fell with the score on 44, Ireland were in danger of subsiding with plenty of balls to spare.

As it was, a trio of useful lower-order hands from Arlene Kelly, Leah Paul and Ava Canning ensured Ireland batted their overs and set Australia a three-figure target.