LORCAN TUCKER SCORED an unbeaten 94 as Ireland made it three wins from three in the ICC T20 World Cup qualifier with a 128-run victory over Austria at the Grange Cricket Club.

It is Ireland’s biggest ever margin of victory in a T20 international, beating the previous best of 98-runs against Scotland in 2017.  

Captain Paul Stirling lost his third straight toss and Ireland were sent in to bat first. There was one change to the starting line-up, as Ireland took to the field without Andrew Balbirnie, after he was ruled out of the game as a precaution after picking up a slight niggle in the warm-up. Ross Adair came in to replace him.  

Austria came into the game off the back of heavy defeats to Germany and Jersey, while Ireland had back-to-back victories over Italy and Denmark.

In cold and windy conditions, Austria started with their spinner Amit Nathwani – while his opening delivery surprised Ross Adair and almost knocked over the Northern Knights’ opener, Adair proceeded to smash his second delivery for six towards long on giving impetus to the Irish batting assault.

Austria did manage an early breakthrough when their captain Razmal Shigiwal claimed a great catch off Nathwani’s bowling in the third over to end Stirling’s innings on nine. However, Adair and Tucker then combined well as Ireland moved on to 75-1 at the end of the power play.

Their partnership of 65 ended when Adai, on 46, was beaten by a brilliant yorker from left-arm medium pacer Abdullah Akbarjan. 

Player of the Match Tucker kept playing his shots, driving balls to the off-side, sweeping down leg side, blasting sixes over the leg-side boundary, and clipping balls over the wicket-keeper for four. He brought up his sixth career T20I half-century in the twelfth over, off just 29 balls, with a single to extra-cover.

Harry Tector fell to catch by Mark Simpson-Parker at long-on, with Ireland 138-3 in the 14th over.

Neil Rock came in at number five and scored his highest T20I score with a six down towards third – passing his previous best of 22 – but was fortunate to continue as he was dropped by Iqbal with the very next ball. His partnership of 71 with Tucker eventually came to an end when Rock was beaten by a slower ball from Iqbal. 

Austria would eventually rue three dropped catches as Ireland finished up with 226-4, one run higher than their previous best of 225-7 against Afghanistan in 2013.

Ireland’s bowlers got their defence off to the perfect start, with Mark Adair taking a wicket with his first ball, as Curtis Campher grabbed the ball at backward point to remove Iqbal Hossain. Josh Little then forced Mark Simpson-Parker into feathering an edge to Tucker in the fourth over.

Austria captain Shigiwal, who came in at number three, scored freely, and hit their first six down to fine-leg off the bowling of Campher.

Shigiwal’s innings came to an end on 33, after Little was brought back into the attack, slapping one straight to Rock at mid-wicket. 

Three wickets then fell in ten balls, as Mark Adair, Ben White, and Barry McCarthy all took wickets, reducing Austria to 56-6. 

Austria did construct a nice partnership of 37 – their highest of the day – between Iqbal and Mehar Cheema, before Campher returned and removed both in the space of five balls in the eighteenth over. 

Mark Adair finished off the tail with back-to-back wickets as Austria were bowled out for 98 with eight balls remaining.

Ireland will head to Goldenacre Sports Ground tomorrow afternoon, where they’ll take on Jersey in their fourth game of the tournament at 3.30pm Irish time. 

Meanwhile, the Irish women’s clash with Australia in Clontarf was abandoned because of rain.