Ireland has knocked out twice T20 Worldcup champions West Indies from the race of super 12.

West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran chose to bat first after winning the toss. However the Windies quickly run into difficulty as  When it counted most, Paul Stirling, playing in his eighth Men’s T20 World Cup, stood tall while spinner Gareth Delany, picked his career-best figures of 3/16.

In a crucial Group B encounter of super 16 on Friday at Bellerive Oval, Ireland defeated West Indies by nine wickets thanks to a magnificent 66 from Paul Stirling, who finished unbeaten. Ireland advanced to the Super 12 round of the ongoing event.

On a field that appeared to be favourable for both batting and chasing, West Indies only managed to put up a below-par total of 146/5 in 20 overs while bowling first.

Although Brandon King, the flamboyant opener for the Windies, made an unbeaten 62, but the Stirling inning received all the attention in second innings.

Stirling made an absolute mockery of the chase by chasing down the score with 15 balls left in his unbeaten 48-ball innings, smashing six fours and two sixes.

Stirling stitched a scorching 73-run opening stand with captain Andrew Balbirnie and then put on 77 runs for the unbroken second-wicket stand with Lorcan Tucker (45 not out). This eliminated the illiterate two-time champions from the competition.

While bowling first, Ireland drew the first blood when seasoned Barry McCarthy spooked Kyle Mayers with a length ball, causing the left-hander to mistime the ball to mid-off. The Windies never appeared to be in a commanding position after Johnson Charles charged on Curtis Campher’s short ball, scoring two fours and a six off three consecutive deliveries in the fourth over.

Rovman Powell holed out to deep mid-wicket while Nicholas Pooran, the captain, was struck by a ball while trying to clear the infield, while the other team lost wickets at the other end as King continued to anchor the innings with back-to-back fours off McCarthy to reach his sixth T20I fifty.

Smith swung hard in his 19 not out off 12 balls, hitting a four and two sixes, but West Indies couldn’t go past the 150-mark because King couldn’t achieve the needed acceleration.

Brief scores: West Indies 146/5 in 20 overs (Brandon King 62 not out, Johnson Charles 24; Gareth Delany 3/16, Simi Singh 1/11) lost to Ireland 150/1 in 17.3 overs (Paul Stirling 66 not out, Lorcan Tucker 45 not out; Akeal Hosein 1/38) by nine wickets.