Evin Lewis Blasts 91 as West Indies to 62-Run Victory Over Ireland to Seal T20I Series 1-0

@Lewis playing a shot during his 91-run innings vs Ireland 2025

series 1-0. On an improbably sunny day in a generally rainy Ireland, the match saw the exploits of the Caribbean team, who were at their destructive best with the bat, notably Evin Lewis, who made a match-winning 91 and a disciplined bowling attack which crushed the Irish hosts. This was a big comeback win after West Indies had stuttered in the early days of their tour as they had played a draw in the ODI series against England and suffered a whitewash in their previous T20I series against England.

Match Overview :

On June 15, 2025 West Indies at last played their deciding third Twenty20 International against Ireland at Bready Cricket Club in Northern Ireland, the original match being rained off and the second one following suit. Ireland won the toss and decided to bowl first, but it was an almighty backfire as the West Indies batted to their second-highest T20I score ever of 256/5 in 20 overs

The pursuit by Ireland never got off the ground, as they ended at 194/7 and West Indies won the match by 62 runs with a comfortable 1-0 lead in the T20 series

West Indies Innings: the Explosive 91 of Lewis

The batting innings of the West Indies was a story of aggression and consolidation, which ended up in a very formidable total of 256 runs in 20 overs, the second-highest total in T20I ever recorded by the West Indies. The Player of the Match Evin Lewis started it off with an absolute blistering 91 off 44 balls consisting of 7 fours and 8 sixes. His aggressive approach was clearly observed at the very beginning as he took advantage of the Ireland seamers especially during the Powerplay overs. 

At the number three position, Shai Hope played a key supporting role as he scored 51 runs of 27 balls at a strike of almost 189. Lewis was able to stick to his aggressive tactics because he was able to rotate the strike and locate boundaries. The second wicket partnership of the duo contributed 92 runs to rest the bowlers of Ireland in constant pressure. The innings played by Hope was quite crucial considering the pressure on the upper order of West Indies following their poor performance against England where they had been struggling with dot balls 

The middle order led by Keacy Carty (49* off 22) and Romario Shephered (19* off 6) did not allow the momentum to die. Recently in great shape after a century in the ODI series, Carty hit some daring shots and Shephered cameo towards the end, with two mighty sixes, took the total out of reach of Ireland. Ireland bowlers though could not manage to keep the runs at bay even after McCarthy provided the early breakthroughs. Barry McCarthy and Mark Adair proved to be costly, giving away more than 10 runs per over, and young spinner Matthew Humphreys did his best but failed to stop the flow.The strength of West Indies in integrating strength and style,

Ireland Bowling Attack -The Tide is Unstoppable :

• The bowlers in Ireland were badly thrashed as the visitors exploited their batting blitz:

• Liam McCarthy made his T20I debut in which he bowled a horror spell: 81 runs in 4 overs, the second-highest figures in T20I history

• Matthew Humphreys bowled two wickets (2/16 in 4 overs) but was smashed in other areas, as was the entire bowling attack which was expensive and besieged

• Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy and Ben White were among the other bowlers who took a wicket each, but could not restrain West Indies onslaught

The Chase of Ireland- A Far-off Sound :

Ireland had a mountain to climb with a target of 257 and they required a good opening partnership by their senior batsmen, Paul Stirling and Lorcan Tucker. But the bowlers of the West Indies, Romario Shepherd and Alzarri Joseph, came to the rescue early in the hosts innings. Shepherd, who had taken three wickets in the T20I series against England, was in good form and in the fourth over bowled Stirling who made 22. Tucker and then were soon to follow, going lbw to the useful spin of Akeal Hosein and Ireland were 48 for 3 at the end of the Powerplay.

Pursuing 257, Ireland got off to a bright start, courtesy of partial stability at the top:

• Captain Paul Stirling and Ross Adair made a composed stand with Adair scoring 48 out of 36 balls and Stirling making a brief cameo

• Harry Tector was the savior with 38 runs off 25 deliveries but things began to get out of hand as they lost wickets around them

• Mark Adair (31 off 14) provided some late in the innings spark with four massive sixes, but the effort needed run rate was too high to achieve

• Ireland was dismissed at 194/7 in their innings, which was a decent but poor  score to challenge a huge target.

West Indies Bowling : Closing the Deal

• The Irish chase was taken apart, but the West Indies bowlers were meticulous in the work

• Akeal Hosein topped the bowling with three wickets in 27 runs in his four overs to shatter the top and middle order

• Jason Holder made a very important input by taking 2 wickets and ended up with 2/49 

• All rounded bowling performance was finished by Romario Shepherd and Roston Chase each taking a wicket

Notables & Awards :

Player of the Match: Evin Lewis whose batting fireworks all but sealed the game   with his scorching 91 off 44 balls

This was the one and only game that was played, the other two games were given up due to rain-in all the more decisive to Lewis and his performance. 

The match was a harbinger of the summer of West Indies in the larger picture of things- a strong overture to a home series of Tests against Australia, the first of which begins June 25

 Strategic lessons :

• West Indies were very happy to bat first as the small boundaries of Bready were not able to stop their power hitters.

• The West Indian hitters, with their big-hitting skills, put pressure on Ireland, especially in their bowling depth, the debut of McCarthy was a case in point.

• The West Indies depth came to the fore: Lewis and Hope began the attack, Carty and Shepherd did the closing, and the bowlers did the job when it mattered.

  Highlights Snapshot :

• Evin Lewis fifty from 29 balls - smashing the Irish bowlers everywhere with speed and force

• McCarthy becoming a nightmare on his debut- going off bowling the second-worse spell in T20I history (81/0)

• Hosein and Holder pulling off the finishing move--cutting the chase short and making sure that it was a comfortable win.

Conclusion :

The 62-run victory that the West Indies achieved on June 15, 2025, was an expression of intent about what the team can do when they are clicking on all cylinders. It was the explosive 91 of Evin Lewis, a solid performance of Shai Hope and a very disciplined bowling effort that made the difference and the victory was comprehensive enough to win the series. In the case of Ireland, the loss was a reminder of the difference between them that they have to close to be able to compete regularly in the shortest format. Both teams will consider the future as the West Indies looks to improve on this form and the Irish will focus on sharpening up their game as they face the West Indies in the future.

Brief Score : 

WI Innings : 256/5 (20 overs)  Evin Lewis 91 off 44 Balls (7 Fours And 8 Sixes), Shai Hope 51 off 27 Balls  (4 Fours And 4 Sixes),

IRE Bowling : Matthew Humphreys 2/16 (4 Overs), Benjamin White 1/50 (4 Overs)

IRE Innings : 194/7 (20 Overs) Ross Adair 48 off 36 Balls (3 Fours And 4 Sixes), Harry tector  38 off 25 Balls (4 Fours And 2 Sixes)

WI Bowling : Akeal Hosein 3/27 (4 Overs), Jason Holder 2/49 (4 Overs)

Player Of the Match : Evin Lewis

Result : West Indies Won by 62 Runs