ICC/CricketEurope

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Ireland got the defence of their European Division 1 title off to a great start with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over newcomers Norway at The Vineyard in Skerries on Friday.

Shahid Ahmed won the toss and elected to bat, and the Norwegians began steadily against the new ball attack of Thinus Fourie and debutant Gavin McKenna, reaching 38 without loss.

By that time Kevin O’Brien had replaced Fourie, and he removed Zaheer Ashiq, who had been the more aggressive of the openers, when he skied the ball to Reinhardt Strydom, who took a good running catch at deep and wide midwicket.

Sameer Sachdev continued to bat cautiously despite the loss of Ehtsham-ul-Haq and Shahid Ahmad, and he and Zeeshan Ali got the total up to 91 before Alex Cusack came into the attack and with his second ball trapped Sachdev leg-before for a patient 38.

His dismissal was the trigger for a spectacular collapse, Gary Kidd switching ends for the next over and promptly getting rid of Zeeshan (with a splendid catch off his own bowling, running back and diving full-length) and Shahbaz Butt with successive balls.

A run-out followed in Cusack’s next, and Norway had slumped from 91 for three to 98 for seven in the space of fourteen balls. And as if that weren’t bad enough, Kidd picked up a wicket in each of his next two overs, leaving the Norwegians on 104 for nine.

Shahzad Siddiqui and Saqib Qayyum added 15 for the last wicket, but then Siddiqui clipped Kyle McCallan to André Botha, who took a fine low catch to end the innings.

Earlier, Botha had contributed another of his miserly spells, conceding just six runs (three of them wides) in seven overs for the wicket of Ehtsham. But it was Kidd who was the Irish hero, with four for 25 in nine overs of well-controlled left-arm spin which bamboozled all the Norwegian bastmen, especially once he had switched to the Pavilion End.

Gary Wilson and Strydom faced nine overs before the lunch interval, by which point they had knocked off 30 of the 120 required.

Strydom began the afternoon session with a flurry of boundaries, but when he had reached 21 he edged Zeeshan Ali to the keeper and Ireland were 67 for one.

Paul Stirling did not stay long, but Wilson was in control at the other end, and appeared to be proceeding towards his half-century. He was on 42 at the point that he was joined by Botha, but when he had gone on to 47 Botha unleashed a series of five boundaries to finish the match, leaving his partner three short of his fifty.

His 47 came from 65 balls with six fours, while Botha’s 25, also including six boundaries, took just 18 deliveries.