Paul Stirling makes history as Ireland crush West Indies in ODI opener
Stirling becomes first Irish batter to score 10,000 runs in international cricket
DUBLIN: Paul Stirling reached a landmark moment in Ireland cricket history on Wednesday, becoming the first Irish batter to surpass 10,000 international runs during a dominant 124-run victory over the West Indies in the first ODI here at Dublin.
The milestone came during Stirling’s composed knock of 54 off 64 balls, a pivotal contribution at the top of the order in a match that saw Ireland deliver a clinical all-round performance.
Stirling finished the day with a career total of 10,017 international runs across all formats — Tests, ODIs, and T20Is — marking his place in the history books and setting the tone for a triumphant outing by the hosts.
The Irish skipper’s half-century, combined with a commanding 112 from fellow opener Andy Balbirnie, laid a strong foundation.
The duo shared a 109-run stand for the first wicket, propelling Ireland to a formidable total of 303/6 in allotted 50 overs.
Balbirnie’s century came off 138 deliveries and featured nine fours and four sixes, while Harry Tector added 56 in the middle order to maintain momentum.
Despite some breakthroughs from West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph, who claimed the wickets of Balbirnie and Tector, Ireland’s batting unit proved too strong.
With the batters having done their job, Ireland's bowlers turned the screws. Barry McCarthy led the charge with figures of 4/32 in 7.1 overs.
While George Dockrell supported with 3/21 in two overs. The West Indies, chasing 304, never recovered from an early collapse, slipping to 5/31 within the first 10 overs.
Thomas Mayes made an immediate impact on his ODI debut, clean bowling Windies captain Shai Hope for just two.
Spinner Dockrell wrapped up the tail with a quick double-strike, and McCarthy finished things off by dismissing Matthew Forde for 38 — the visitors eventually folded for 179, handing Ireland victory with 95 balls to spare.
The series now moves to Clontarf for the second ODI on Friday, with the final match set for Sunday at the same venue.
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