Kim Garth stars but Ireland fall short against West Indies

However her heroics were not enough to get Ireland across the line with the visitors now holding a 2-0 lead in the Hanley Energy T20I Series with one match to play.

After winning the toss, West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor elected to bat first – and the visitors got off to a flyer.

Hayley Matthews (33), Britney Cooper (20) and Sally Ann King (34) laid a solid platform for the visiting side, which at one stage threatened to finish northward of 180.

Good fightback bowling led by Garth (3-22 from 4 overs), complemented by single wickets to Celeste Raack (1-26), Sophie MacMahon (1-21) and Lara Maritz (1-35) helped stem the flow of runs in the latter overs, and despite a late flurry of big hitting the West Indies finished on 157-6 from their 20 overs.

The Irish run chase started with positive intent, with Mary Waldron (25) and Gaby Lewis (11) getting away to 24 from the first four overs.

However, the removal of both openers set in motion a middle-order collapse, with only Kim Garth (51* from 48 balls) flourishing.

Garth’s fifty was her first half-century for Ireland in T20I cricket and the second time in successive matches she had posted her highest score, following her 46 in the last match.

Garth has now scored 52% of Ireland’s runs total across the first two matches of the series, showing her good form with the bat.

Garth found some late support from MacMahon (11*) and the pair put on an unbeaten 45 for the 7th wicket to see out the innings, with Ireland finishing on 112-6.

The two sides meet again on Wednesday in the third and final T20I of the current series, with the match starting at 4pm at Pembroke Cricket Club.

Ireland Women v West Indies Women, T20 International, 28 May, Dublin

West Indies 157-6 (20 overs; S King 34, H Matthews 33; K Garth 3-22)

Ireland 112-6 (20 overs; K Garth 51*, M Waldron 25; S King 2-15, A Fletcher 2-20)

West Indies won by 45 runs