At last, the rain stayed away and the West Indies triumphed against Ireland in the third and final T20I at Bready to clinch the series 1-0. The weather stayed clear and, much to the visitors' delight, their in-form batters went berserk, punishing the Irish bowlers mercilessly. In what turned out to be a high-voltage thriller, the West Indies, while batting first, mounted an astronomical score of 256 for the loss of five wickets, making it their second-highest T20I score. Evin Lewis (91 off 44) and Shai Hope (51 off 27) were the top performers with the bat for the Men in Maroon, while Akeal Hosein emerged as the pick of the bowlers, returning economical figures of 3-27. 

There was not much to cherish from the Irish point of view. Apart from Humphreys, who went at just 4 RPO while picking up two wickets, the rest of the Irish bowlers went for plenty, with every bowler going at more than  12 RPO. Ireland, in response, tried to stage a counter-attack in the second half, but the target proved way beyond their reach and they comfortably fell short by 62 runs. 

See also: West Indies vs Australia: Jamaica’s Sabina Park Eyes Pink-Ball Test

West Indies Innings

The West Indies started off their innings in a dominating fashion. The WI openers Lewis and Hope got the visitors off to a flyer, piling on 122 runs within the first 11 overs. The Irish bowlers, especially Liam McCarthy, were taken aback early doors by the incredible hitting and simply had no answers to the onslaught. Hope played a composed knock of 51, while Lewis was the aggressor, hammering 91 and narrowly missing out on a well-deserved century. The duo hit a combined 12 sixes and 11 fours which completly crippled the Irish bowling attack by the halfway stage. 

Ireland, on the other hand, didn’t have the ideal start, conceding a few loose deliveries that the Men in Maroon were quick to capitalize on. But during the middle overs, they did try to exert some control with the ball, chipping in with a few quick wickets. But that did not seem to have a great deal of impact on the WI innings as Keacy Carty had an impressive T20I debut, finishing unbeaten on 49 in just 22 balls. Romario Shepherd added the finishing touches with a flurry of boundaries, which helped the Windies surge past the 250-run mark in blazing style.

Ireland Innings

In pursuit of their humongous target of 257, Ireland suffered an early blow, losing their captain, Paul Stirling, in only the second over of the run chase. But following that dismissal, a steady 101-run partnership between Ross Adair (48) and Harry Tector (38) followed, which somewhat revived the faint hopes of a potential Irish win. But they were still way behind in the run chase, with the asking rate nearly touching 16 RPO at the halfway stage. After that brief fightback, both Ross and Tector were removed in quick succession in the space of just four balls.

Their quick departures meant a disastrous middle-order collapse, and Ireland never quite recovered. Despite some late resistance from George Dockrell (15 off 8), Mark Adair (31 off 14), and Liam McCarthy (16 off 15) in the lower order, the task proved too tall. The Windies bowlers were able to get themselves back into business after overcoming a resilient stand between Ross and Tector. Once that partnership was broken, the West Indies never offered any realistic opportunity for Ireland to make a comeback. Akeal Hosein led the bowling effort for the visitors and starred with an impressive three-wicket haul, while Jason Holder, Roston Chase, and Romario Shepherd chipped in with key breakthroughs at crucial moments.

Ireland vs West Indies: Match Scorecard

West Indies – 256/5 (20 Overs)

Batting	Runs (Balls)	Bowling	Wickets/Runs (Overs)
Evin Lewis	91 (44)	Matthew Humphreys	2-16 (4)
Shai Hope	51 (27)	Ben White	1-50 (4)
Keacy Carty	49 (22)	Mark Adair	1-52(4)

Ireland – 194/7 (20 Overs)

Batting	Runs (Balls)	Bowling	Wickets/Runs (Overs)
Ross Adair	48 (36)	Akeal Hosein	3-27 (4)
Harry Tector	38 (25)	Romario Shepherd	1-23 (3)
Mark Adair	31 (14)	Jason Holder	2-49 (4)