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Ireland beat Zimbabwe by five runs in Cricket World Cup thriller
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Ireland clung on to claim a controversial five-run win over Zimbabwe in Hobart to keep their bid to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on track.
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Ed Joyce, with his third one-day international century, and Andy Balbirnie, who was run out three runs short of a maiden hundred, helped Ireland reach 331 for eight – their highest ever score at a World Cup – but Zimbabwe looked like running down the record chase until a debatable John Mooney catch.
Replays appeared to show Mooney had stepped on the rope when he held on to remove Sean Williams, who was four short of a century and seemingly in control of the pursuit. The third umpire was called to judge the catch, although Williams did not remain on the field of play after he opted to take the word of Mooney that he had taken the catch inside the rope.
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Related: Ireland beat Zimbabwe at Cricket World Cup – as it happened
There was still drama to follow as Tawanda Mupariwa, at No10, slapped 19 from the penultimate over, delivered by Kevin O’Brien, to leave Zimbabwe needing seven from the last six balls.
But Alex Cusack held his nerve to claim the final two wickets, first getting Regis Chakabva to drag on before Mupariwa skied a catch that William Porterfield gratefully accepted.
While Joyce’s 112 earned him the man-of-the-match award, Cusack’s four for 32 was just as invaluable, especially after he removed the Zimbabwe captain, Brendan Taylor, for 121.
“In those final overs, asked to defend 330 and, what, four for 30, in just under 10, fantastic effort,” Porterfield, Ireland’s captain, said of Cusack. “He’s done well. He never really seems to let us down, and today was no different.”
Victory was Ireland’s second against a full-member nation at the tournament after they opened their campaign with a win over West Indies. They will, however, probably need to pull off one more shock in their final two pool games against India and Pakistan.
