On Monday, New Zealand defeated Ireland by 31 runs in the first T20I of this series at an extremely hot and humid Stormont. The games keep coming thick and fast, with the second T20I taking place on Wednesday afternoon at the same venue. Continue reading as we preview the second game of the three-match series. The game begins at 16:00 p.m. local time.
Ireland was in the driver’s seat when they led New Zealand 38-3 and 54-4 on Monday. However, as has been the case throughout these games, Ireland lacked the quality to play the entire game.
New Zealand continues to give Ireland a run for their money in these games, but just like in the ODI series, they found a match winner in the first T20I when it really mattered.
Match Details to Note
Match: Ireland vs New Zealand, 2nd ODI, New Zealand Tour of Ireland 2022
Date: July 20, 2022 (Wednesday)
Time: 8:30 PM IST
Venue: Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast
Ireland Team News:
The hosts were very impressive with the ball in the first game of the series, and if it hadn’t been for Glenn Phillips’ strong innings, they might have been up 1-0. We expect Ireland to field an unchanged lineup for this game.
Ireland Squad
Andrew Balbirnie (c), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Graham Hume, Joshua Little, Andy McBrine, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young
Players to watch out for:
Paul Stirling
The opener did not have a big score in the first game of the series, but he showed plenty of intent by trying to hit most balls for six. In the most recent ODI series, he scored a century.
Curtis Campher
The 23-year-old all-rounder put in a strong performance in the first game. He dismissed the dangerous Daryl Mitchell before scoring 29 runs off 21 balls.
Josh Little
The bowler’s international profile is growing. In the first T20I, he dismissed Finn Allen, Dane Cleaver, Michael Bracewell, and Mitchell Santner.
Possible Playing XI:
Andrew Balbirnie (c), Paul Stirling, Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Craig Young, Joshua Little, Conor Olphert
Ireland Team Form
Ireland has now lost four games in a row in this format. During this run, they have been defeated by New Zealand, India, and the UAE.
New Zealand Team News:
In the first game of the series, the Black Caps gave T20I debuts to wicketkeeper Dane Cleaver and all-rounder Michael Bracewell. Lockie Ferguson is frequently rested, and with the T20 World Cup less than three months away, we expect him to miss this game.
New Zealand Squad
Tom Latham, Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Dane Cleaver, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young
Players to watch out for:
Martin Guptill
For the 12 balls the experienced right-handed opener batted on Monday, he had a strike rate of 200. In his five innings, he hit five fours.
Glenn Phillips
In the first T20I, the powerful middle-order batter hit seven fours and one six to top score with 69 not out from 52 balls.
Jimmy Neesham
The all-rounder is always a threat to the opposition and put on a typically aggressive performance with the bat on Monday. Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy were then fired.
Possible Playing XI:
Mitchell Santner (c), Martin Guptill, Finn Allen, Darryl Mitchell, Lockie Ferguson, Blair Tickner, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver (wk), Jacob Duffy
New Zealand Team Form
The Black Caps won their first T20I match since beating England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in November 2021. The victory ended a run of four consecutive T20I defeats.
Ireland vs New Zealand Top Team Batsmen:
Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, and Harry Tector are our batting picks for Ireland. Balbirnie has six T20I half-centuries to his name.
Martin Guptill, Finn Allen, and Glenn Phillips are our bat recommendations for New Zealand. Allen has 14 T20 half-centuries and a recent ODI century against Ireland.
Ireland vs New Zealand Top Team Bowlers:
With the ball, we like Josh Little, Mark Adair, and Craig Young for Ireland. On Monday, Adair took the wickets of Martin Guptill and Ish Sodhi.
Our bowling picks for New Zealand are Blair Tickner, Mitchell Santner, and Jimmy Neesham. Tickner’s best domestic T20 figures are 5-19.
Ireland vs New Zealand Head to Head
New Zealand has defeated Ireland in every match they have played in all formats. There hasn’t been a Test match between the two countries, but New Zealand has won two out of two Twenty20 Internationals.
Ireland vs New Zealand Head to Head Stats in T20I
| Matches Played | IRE Won | NZ Won | Draw | Tie | |
| Overall | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Last 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Ireland vs New Zealand Toss Prediction
On Monday, Ireland won the toss and elected to bat first. With humidity levels expected to rise as the T20I progresses, we predict that both captains will opt to field first.
Ireland vs New Zealand Pitch Report
In the first T20I, pace bowlers were the most successful on this wicket. However, it is a good batting surface, and whoever bats first will want to score at least 190.
Although the weather will be cooler than in the first game of the series, this game will be extremely humid throughout.
Ireland vs New Zealand Prediction
Ireland has a very talented group of players, but they never seem to be able to put together a performance in which four or five of their top players are at their best. We expect them to be competitive in this match, but we believe New Zealand will win.
