IRE vs NZ, 3rd T20I: New Zealand 180 for 4 (Phillips 56*, Mitchell 48*, Little 2-33) beat Ireland 174 for 6 (Stirling 40, Adair 37*Sodhi 2-27) by six wickets. The Black Caps are unbeaten in their trip to Ireland, having previously secured the ODI series 3-0 in Dublin. The caravan then moved to Belfast, where the Kiwis kept up with their triumphant energy with wins in the first two T20Is by sizeable margins (31 runs and 88 runs separately).

Ireland won the toss and chose to bat in the third and last T20I against New Zealand in Belfast on Friday. 

Ireland wanted to close this restricted overs series with a triumph, however more significantly, the hosts expected a significantly better show from their players. Chasing a total of 180 in the second T20I, Ireland were bundled out for only 91, with Mark Adair top-scoring with 27 runs. Ish Sodhi and Michael Bracewell had taken three wickets each.

Glenn Phillips delivered a game dominating fifty for the second time in the series to assist New Zealand with beating a precarious pursuit of 175 in the third and last T20I against Ireland in Belfast. Phillips utilised the components of the Stormont ground – wide square on one or the other side – to get 46 out of an unbeaten 56 runs, as he hit just a single four and a six.

Daryl Mitchell likewise played an imperative hand in New Zealand’s six-wicket win, scoring a 32-ball 48 with five fours and a six. He partnered up with Phillips when New Zealand were 65 for 3 in the eighth over, and their fourth-wicket association of 82 shifted the game in the guests’ favour, after which they didn’t relinquish the benefit.

Prior, Ireland’s lower order had dazzled to drive their side to 174, with Mark Adair breaking 37* off 15 balls, and Curtis Campher hitting an eight-ball 19*, as the hosts crushed 70 runs in their last five overs.

Their unbroken partnership of 58 in just 23 balls gave Ireland the force at the break, however regardless of an early extremely tight grip with the ball, they wound up losing their 6th white-ball game against New Zealand in the 2022 home summer, losing both the ODI and the T20I series 3-0.

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The Phillips-Mitchell partnership

At 65 for 3, New Zealand were in an awkward position. No group in the 23-T20I history of Belfast had at any point effectively pursued at least 140, and with three early wickets gone, maybe Ireland would at long last get a success against the guests.

Finn Allen was quick to go for 14, out to a yorker from Craig Young in the second over. Dane Cleaver before long followed him for 5 when his draw off Josh Little couldn’t clear the outfielder in the profound. What’s more, Martin Guptill – who offered the full essence of the bat to make light of a few great lobbed shots the ground – was out for a 19-ball 25 while attempting to clear George Dockrell and just dealing with a top-edge to short fine leg.

At that stage, New Zealand required a recovery job, and Phillips and Mitchell furnished that by playing with the elements of the field. They struck only two limits from overs 8 to 13, and made light of hazard free cricket to carry the condition to 70 out of seven overs.