Liam McCarthy's record-breaking struggles highlight as West Indies crush Ireland in final T20I

After rain washed out the first two T20Is of the series, the third and final match in Bready was the only game that saw action and it delivered a flurry of runs and unwanted records for the hosts. Ireland captain Paul Stirling won the toss and opted to bowl first against West Indies, but the decision quickly backfired, according to Wisden.

West Indies openers Evin Lewis and Shai Hope launched a brutal assault on the Irish bowlers, putting together a blazing 122-run partnership in just 10.3 overs. Lewis led the charge with a stunning 91 off 41 balls, while Hope added a quickfire 51. Though the visitors lost a couple of wickets in the middle overs, debutant Keacy Carty (49* off 22) and Romario Shepherd (19* off 6) provided a late flourish, propelling the West Indies to a towering total of 256/5, one of the highest in men's T20I history.

It was a debut to forget for Ireland's Liam McCarthy. Introduced into the attack with the score already at 45 without loss in four overs, his first two balls were launched for sixes by Hope. He conceded 21 in his opening over and was taken apart even more in his second, giving away 24 runs, including a six and four boundaries by Lewis. His final two overs offered no respite either, both leaking 18 runs apiece. By the end of his spell, McCarthy had given away 81 runs, the most by a bowler from a Full Member nation in men's T20Is, and second-most overall behind The Gambia's Musa Jobarteh (93 vs Zimbabwe in 2024).

While McCarthy bore the brunt of the West Indies onslaught, Ireland's bowling attack as a whole struggled. Only Matthew Humphreys managed to keep things under control, finishing with excellent figures of 2/16 from his four overs. The rest fared poorly, Mark Adair (1/52), Barry McCarthy (1/55), and Ben White (1/50) all conceded over 50 runs.

In fact, Ireland set an unwanted record, becoming the first Full Member side in men's T20I history to have four bowlers concede 50 or more runs in a single match. The only other instance of such carnage came in The Gambia's game against Zimbabwe in 2024, where five bowlers went for 50+ and one conceded 24 runs in a single over. In reply to West Indies' mammoth score, Ireland could manage 194/7, the Windies took the series 1-0. (ANI)