On this day in 2011: Ireland pull off a sensational chase against England
An Ireland cricket fan will forever remember the date 2nd March 2011. It was on this date that the Irish side pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. The William Porterfield-led side beat England in a high-scoring thriller at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore.
England won the toss and decided to get their willows out. And, they sent the Ireland bowlers on a leather hunt. Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen put on a blistering 91-run stand for the opening wicket. While Strauss scored a 37 ball 34, Pietersen scored a sparkling 59 off just 50 deliveries.
Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell continued to pulverize the Irish bowlers. While Trott scored a run a ball 92, Bell scored 81 as England ended their first innings with the scorecard reading 327/8. For Ireland, John Mooney was the pick of the bowlers. The right-arm pacer scalped 4 wickets, giving away 63 runs in his 9 overs.
In reply, Ireland lost their skipper William Porterfield for a duck. Even though Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce scored 32 each, Ireland lost a flurry of wickets. In fact, at the end of the 25th over, the Irish scorecard read 113/5, and it looked like Ireland would go down meekly.
KOB steps up
But that is when Kevin O’Brien decided to take matters into his own hands. In a sensational assault that will be etched in Ireland cricketing folklore, the right-hander scored a murderous 63 ball 113. His knock was studded with 13 fours and 6 sixes. And, he put on a match-defining partnership of 162 runs for the sixth wicket with Alex Cusack, who scored 47. And in the end, Ireland beat England by 3 wickets and 5 balls to spare.
Ireland had stunned Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup and beat them by 3 wickets. And now, in the next edition of the World Cup, they had beaten England at the Chinnaswamy stadium to prove that they were the ‘giant killers’ of the World Cup.
And, for his match-winning knock, Kevin O’Brien won the ‘Man of the Match’ award. Even a decade later, this match will surely be remembered with fondness in the cricketing world. Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties, and on 2nd March 2011, we all understood why.
