Windies rattle off 2nd-best T20 score to clinch T20 series vs Ireland - Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

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West Indies racked up their second-highest score in T20 cricket - 256 for five - as they whipped Ireland by 62 runs in the third and final T20 at Bready Cricket Ground, Magheramason, Northern Ireland on June 15 to clinch the series 1-0. The two previous matches in the series were abandoned because of rain without a ball being bowled.

Ireland captain Paul Stirling won the toss and inserted the Windies, but he may have been regretting that decision as openers Evin Lewis (91 off 44 balls) and skipper Shai Hope (51 off 27) put the West Indies in a dominant position with a 122-run partnership.

The left-handed Lewis slammed seven fours and eight sixes in his devastating innings, with the stylish Hope hitting four fours and four sixes. The Windies had a blip after the loss of Hope's wicket, as Lewis and former skipper Rovman Powell (two) fell in quick succession as the team slid to 152 for three in the 13th over. After the fall of Shimron Hetmyer (15), the in-form Keacy Carty turned up the heat at the Bready venue as he slammed an unbeaten 49 off 22 balls with four fours and four sixes. Playing in his T20 debut, the 28-year-old Carty carried over his form from the One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against the Irish last month when he hit consecutive centuries to end the three-match series. With helpful cameos from allrounders Jason Holder (18) and Romario Shepherd (19 not out), West Indies scored 76 runs in the last five overs to post the imposing 256.

The Windies' highest score in the T20 format came in Centurion versus South Africa in 2023 when a century from Johnson Charles propelled them to 258 for five.

In the chase, Stirling (13) was dismissed in the second over by Holder (two for 49), but Ireland showed good attacking intent as the pair of Ross Adair (48 off 36) and Harry Tector (38 off 25) put on a 101-run partnership for the second wicket.

Wily left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein (three for 27) then drove home West Indies' advantage with the double strike of Lorcan Tucker (one) and Adair in the 12th over, while the wickets of George Dockrell (15), Tim Tector (seven) and Barry McCarthy (two) fell in quick succession as Ireland slipped to 161 for seven in the 17th over.

Some lusty blows from Mark Adair (31 not out off 14) eventually saw Ireland close on 194 for seven to give West Indies the facile win.

Coming off 3-0 losses to England in back-to-back ODI and T20 series, the win could give the West Indies a much-needed confidence boost ahead of their Test and T20 series against Australia. The teams will play a three match Test series starting on June 25, with a five-match T20 series scheduled to start on July 20.

Summarised Scores:

WEST INDIES 256/5 (20 overs) (Evin Lewis 91, Shai Hope 51, Keacy Carty 49 not out; Matthew Humphreys (2/16) vs IRELAND 194/7 (20 overs) (Ross Adair 48, Harry Tector 38, Mark Adair 31 not out; Akeal Hosein 3/27, Jason Holder 2/49). West Indies won by 62 runs.