CWC Qualifiers: Mark Adair completes 50 ODI wickets with four-fer
Ireland pacer Mark Adair has raced to 50 ODI wickets with a four-wicket haul against Sri Lanka in Match 15 of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023. The right-arm fast bowler was brilliant in the slog overs as he returned with 4/46 in 9.5 overs. His brilliance meant the Lankans were folded for 325 with a ball to spare. Here are his stats.
A crucial spell from Adair
Adair could not do much in the first half of the innings. Centurion Dimuth Karunaratne (103) was his first victim of the day. He then dismissed Wanindu Hasaranga (4), Maheesh Theekshana (0), and Lahiru Kumara (4) in the last three overs of the innings. Notably, he did not concede a single run in the five balls he bowled in the final over.
50 ODI wickets for Adair
Meanwhile, Adair has become the 10th Ireland bowler to scalp 50 wickets. He needed exactly four scalps to accomplish the feat ahead of the contest. The 27-year-old took 38 games to accomplish the mark as his economy rate in the format reads 5.88. This was Adair's fourth four-fer in the format. He is yet to take a fifer as his best figures read 4/19.
How did the innings pan out?
After a 48-run opening stand, Sri Lanka lost Pathum Nissanka (20) and Kusal Mendis (0) in consecutive deliveries. Sadeera Samarawickrama (82) arrived to bat at number four and he rebuilt the innings with Karunaratne. Charith Asalanka (38) and Dhananjaya de Silva (42*) also made crucial contributions toward the end. Barry McCarthy (3/56), and Gareth Delany (2/52) were Ireland's other wicket-takers.
