Ireland Clinch Dramatic Ten-Run Win Over Kenya

Ireland Clinch Dramatic Ten-Run Win Over Kenya

Ed Joyce top scored in both of Ireland's innings and was the only man to score a half-century during a game which saw 40 wickets fall for just 444 runs.

©REUTERS / Action Images

Ireland 75 (Varaiya 6-22) & 152 (Joyce 54) beat
Kenya 109 (Dockrell 5-37) & 108 by ten runs
ICC Intercontinental Cup, Mombasa

Ireland beat Kenya by ten runs inside two days in an extraordinary low-scoring, spin-dominated ICC Intercontinental Cup clash in Mombasa.

Ireland failed to reach triple figures in their first innings as they were rolled for 75. Hitting back, they dismissed Kenya for 109 and then forged ahead by scoring 152 to set Kenya 119 to win before the hosts fell for 108 in the final innings of the game.

In all, just five of the 40 wickets did not fall to the spinners and nobody other than George Dockrell and Albert van der Merwe took a wicket for Ireland.

Ed Joyce's gutsy 54 was the only half-century of the game and in a final twist, the only players to reach double figures in Kenya's run chase were the last three men to the crease - Nehemiah Odhiambo (32), Hiren Varaiya (27) and Shem Ngoche (13 not out).

Incredibly, Kenya were 36 for eight when Odhiambo and Varaiya joined forces and their efforts almost took the home side to victory before Dockrell (4-50) and van der Merwe (6-27) broke through.

Varaiya had starred on the opening day with career-best figures of six for 22 as Ireland were blown away as only three players could make double figures, Joyce top scoring with 26.

Kenya could only gain a first-innings lead of 34, however, thanks to Dockrell's haul of five for 37 and van der Merwe's five for 41. Just eight of the 35.1 overs were shared between John Mooney, Max Sorensen and Alex Cusack as spin held sway.

Joyce, who faced 84 balls, and Stirling, who made 20, then wiped out the deficit and further contributions from Cusack (22), Andrew White (26) and Gary Wilson (12) inched Ireland into a priceless lead and set Kenya a tricky victory target.

Varaiya completed match figures of 12 for 73 by returning six for 51 in Ireland's second innings as Nelson Odhiambo bucked the trend of the match by grabbing three for 35 as he finished off Ireland's lower order.

To the run chase and Ireland were quickly homing in on an even swifter victory than that which transpired as they ripped Kenya's batting to shreds.

Van der Merwe opened the bowling and it was not long before he was working in tandem with Dockrell to carve a path through Kenya's top order.

From 36 for eight, Odhiambo, Varaiya and Ngoche defied the tourists with patience and application but in the end, the balance of the match - heavily in favour of the bowlers - was restored when Varaiya was caught by White off van der Merwe.

© Cricket World 2012