New Zealand comfortably overcome Ireland despite Josh Little hat-trick

Little claimed the second hat-trick of this year's T20 World Cup but Kane Williamson's side came out on top comfortably at the Adelaide Oval

Adelaide: New Zealand 185-6, Ireland 150-9 - New Zealand win by 35 runs

Scorecard

New Zealand all but confirmed their place in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup by beating Ireland, with Kane Williamson making his highest T20I score of the year.

Williamson had been short of rhythm in his previous three innings in the tournament, not once scoring at quicker than a run a ball.

But the New Zealand captain accelerated through his 35 deliveries at the crease to make 61 before falling as the first part of Josh Little's hat-trick, only the sixth in men's T20 World Cups but the second by an Irishman, a year on from Curtis Campher's four wickets in four balls against the Netherlands.

Little had Williamson caught at deep square leg before trapping left-handers Jimmy Neesham and Mitch Santner in front with back-of-a-length deliveries that skidded through to thud into their pads as Ireland fought back late in New Zealand's innings.

Williamson's men had dominated until then, albeit without great fluency; Finn Allen was typically belligerent in the powerplay but Devon Conway struggled for timing until holing out off Gareth Delany, the first of two such dismissals for the leg-spinner, who also had Glenn Phillips by George Dockrell.

Daryl Mitchell finished unbeaten on 31, having been part of a 60-run partnership in just 5.1 overs alongside Williamson.

^{Josh Little claimed a hat-trick for Ireland (Brenton Edwards/AFP via Getty Images)}

Ireland's fightback extended into the first phase of their innings, however, and momentarily – after so much talk about the permutations needed for Australia to qualify for the semi-finals at England's expense – one had to be reminded that an Irish win in Adelaide would open the door for the hosts to qualify simply by beating Afghanistan.

But no sooner had Ireland's first-wicket stand reached 68 after eight overs did the game change. Having been taken down in his first over, Santner returned for his second at a much slower pace, finding prodigious turn in what would become a masterpiece in slow-left-arm bowling.

He enticed Andy Balbirnie to drag on for 30 and Harry Tector to loop a catch to backward point, with both men beautifully deceived by changes in speed and flight. In between, Paul Stirling was bowled by Ish Sodhi, similarly slower once he'd watched his partner's success.

From that earlier position of strength, Ireland fell away dramatically as New Zealand's spinners worked out the surface. Ireland lost 5 for 35 in the seven overs after Balbirnie's dismissal, which took a game that looked to be heading for a close finish and turned it into a comfortable victory for the probable winners of Group One.

Delany edged an attempted cut off Lockie Ferguson to Conway and Campher picked out mid-off against the same bowler, while Lorcan Tucker – so impressive against Australia – found long-off to give Sodhi his second wicket. Mark Adair also holed out – but to Tim Southee – and Fionn Hand top-edged a hook to be caught and bowled by Ferguson for his third wicket.

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