England had an unfortunate outing in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 on Wednesday as they faced a defeat by five runs (DLS method) from Ireland at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Chasing 158, England lost quick wickets early before Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone anchored the innings to calm things down. However, the rain played a spoilsport, and the English side fell 5 runs short of the achievable target in the context of the DLS method.
During England’s innings, a moment caught everyone’s attention when Ireland pacer Fionn Hand dismissed star all-rounder Ben Stokes. It all happened on the first ball of the fifth over, and England were two down with 28 runs on the board.
Hand bowled a good length delivery, and Stokes tried to block it with a defensive shot. But the white leather nipped back in sharply, piercing the defence of Stokes and shattering his stumps.
Here is the video:
Fionn hands it to Stokes!
We can reveal that this wicket from Fionn Hand is one of the moments that could be featured in your @0xFanCraze Crictos of the Game packs from Ireland v England.
Grab your pack from https://t.co/8TpUHbQikC to own iconic moments from every game. pic.twitter.com/v4UFim0TIj
— ICC (@ICC) October 26, 2022
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Ireland skipper Andy Balbirnie top-scored with a 47-ball 62, while Lorcan Tucker chipped in a valuable 34 as the Irish side bundled out for 157 in 19.2 overs.
When it comes to the second match of the day, the heavy evening showers in Melbourne forced the contest between New Zealand and Afghanistan to wash out, and both teams shared one point each.
Afghanistan’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals have received a big blow as they remain at the bottom with one point in two matches. All the other sides in the Group have at least one win in two games. Afghanistan will remain in Melbourne to face Ireland on Friday, while the Black Caps will travel to Sydney, where they play Sri Lanka on Saturday.
