Friday at the Twenty20 World Cup, Ireland bowler Joshua Little took a hat-trick, but New Zealand captain Kane Williamson’s 61 led his team to 185-6 in an attempt to reach the semifinals.
In Adelaide, the left-arm quick removed Williamson, James Neesham, and Mitchell Santner consecutively in the 19th over with New Zealand cruising at 174-3.
It was the second hat-trick of this World Cup, following Karthik Meiyappan of the United Arab Emirates versus Sri Lanka in the opening round.
Little’s wickets halted New Zealand’s advance, but Williamson’s maiden fifty of the tournament had already placed his team on track for a formidable total.
Williamson, who was criticized for his slow batting, smacked five fours and three sixes in his 35-ball innings. Daryl Mitchell scored an unbeaten 31 off 21 balls and partnered with Williamson for a crucial 60-run stand.
The Black Caps are now in first place in Group 1 with five points, and a victory will all but seal their spot in the last four.
Australia, who play Afghanistan in the second match of the doubleheader at the Adelaide Oval, and England are tied with five points. However, Australia’s net run rate is much lower.
After being asked to bat first on a beautiful afternoon, Finn Allen and Devon Conway began cautiously against the disciplined Irish bowling attack.
In the fourth over, Allen broke the shackles by smashing leg-spinner Gareth Delany for three fours, including two consecutive deliveries.
He kept up the pressure and hammered a six and four off of fast bowler Mark Adair before being caught at mid-off on the following delivery, as the New Zealanders reached 52-1 after six overs.
The left-handed Conway struggled to accelerate despite hitting a few boundaries, but he and Williamson maintained a stand of 44 runs.
Delany grabbed two wickets in the middle overs, including Glenn Phillips for 17 runs, but Williamson soon assumed control.