CWC Qualifiers: Balbirnie, Tector slam twin fifties versus UAE
Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie and their rising star Harry Tector played fine knocks against UAE in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers at the Athletic Sports Ground in Bulawayo. Balbirnie registered his 15th half-century, while Tector has also amassed his 10th in this format. The duo helped Ireland post a mammoth total of 349/4 in their 50 overs. Here we decode their stats.
A fine fifty from Balbirnie's blade
Balbirnie has been one of the stalwarts in this Ireland team and he finally stepped up with a good knock in this tournament. He was summoned when Ireland were 41/1. He joined forces with Paul Stirling and the duo stitched an important 184-run stand for the second wicket. The experienced duo took Ireland's total beyond the 220-run mark. He was dismissed by Ali Naseer.
An explosive knock from Tector
The youngster came into the picture right after Balbirnie's departure and his aggression and positive mentality helped Ireland post such a big total. Tector added 57 runs along with Stirling and even after the latter's departure, he continued scoring quickly. Later, his 44-run stand with Lorcan Tucker helped Ireland cross the 320-run mark. His 33-ball 57 was laced with four boundaries and two sixes.
A look at their ODI numbers
Courtesy of this fifty, Balbirnie raced to 2,861 runs in 99 ODIs at an average of 32.14. His tally includes 15 fifties and eight hundreds. This was his third fifty against UAE in this format. Meanwhile, Tector has amassed 1,428 runs in 36 ODI matches at an impressive average of 51. Besides the 10 fifties, he has also smashed four ODI centuries.
Third-highest second-wicket partnership for Ireland in ODIs
Stirling and Balbirnie came together and added crucial 184 runs. They registered the third-highest second-wicket stand for Ireland in ODIs. They surpassed William Porterfield and Stirling's 157-run partnership against Afghanistan in 2017. Notably, Stirling and Balbirnie stitched a 212-run stand against England earlier this year.
Tector's stellar numbers in ODIs since 2021
Tector has been in fantastic form in ODIs for Ireland since the turn of 2021. The young batter has hammered 1,371 runs in 33 ODIs at an average of 52.73. He is the fourth-highest run-scorer in ODIs in this period. Only UAE's Vriitya Aravind (1,546), Babar Azam (1,509), and Shai Hope (1,462) are ahead of him. Tector has smashed four centuries in this period.
How did the Ireland innings pan out?
Ireland's openers Andy McBrine and Stirling added 41 runs, followed by a mammoth 184-run partnership between the latter and Balbirnie. Later, Tector was involved in two crucial stands with Stirling and Tucker, taking the Ireland total beyond the 320-run mark. Tucker and George Dockrell's cameos in the slog overs helped them post 349/4. UAE's Sanchit Sharma finished with 3/46 in his seven overs.
