Ireland win the toss (AP)
In the 13th match of the ongoing T20 World Cup between Canada and Ireland, Paul Stirling and Co won the toss and opted to bowl first at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
CAN vs IRE: Playing XI
Ireland Playing XI : Paul Stirling (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little, Craig Young
Canada Playing XI : Aaron Johnson, Navneet Dhaliwal, Pargat Singh, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (wk), Dilpreet Bajwa, Saad Bin Zafar (c), Dillon Heyliger, Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, Jeremy Gordon
CAN vs IRE: Pitch Report by Dale Steyn
“The groundsmen have rolled the surface a lot. They have taken off the grass and it looks a bit whiter. But still I think we will see a lot of bounce. With the conditions around, there will be some movement with the ball.
It’s really about finding the combination between attacking and surviving. If you get a ball, you have to take it on. Take the bowlers out of their comfort zone. If they are allowed to just run in and bowl, you won’t survive. Win the toss and bowl first. Still think 120 could be a tough target here. But, definitely bowl first.”
CAN vs IRE: Captain’s Thoughts
Paul Stirling (Ireland Captain): “We will bowl first. It’s a must-win for us from here on. Just look to come out and bowl well and restrict them to a low total. The surface has changed a lot in the last two days. We have to assess the conditions quickly and see how it behaves today. We have to be quick in that. There should be a lot of talk between the keeper and the bowler in the first over and decide what’s working. We have one change. We have left out White, the spinner, in place of one seamer.”
Saad Bin Zafar (Canada Captain): “We would have bowled first as well. There is a bit of moisture on this pitch. You might see some movement on offer. Not easy to chase here. It was a great occasion for USA as they beat a full member nation. One change for us. Junaid Siddique comes in for Nikhil Dutta.”