Josh Little marked his 100th cap for Ireland with a six-wicket haul that ensured Ireland beat Zimbabwe in the second one-day international in Harare.
The Pembroke left-armer struck three times in a remarkable second over, and followed that up with the prize scalp of Sikander Raza to leave the hosts floundering on 19 for 4.
They rallied from 70 for 6 to reach 133 for 6 with top-scorer Wellington Mazakadza (40) and Ryan Burl (38) adding to an early cameo from Clive Madande (33).
Harry Tector was the surprise package that broke the 63-run stand and that opened the door for Little to pick up two more on his way to breaking skipper Paul Stirling's best-bowling figures for Ireland in an ODI.
A chase of 166 looked routine but on a tricky enough worn track, the Irish pulse rates will have quickened with the loss of Andy Balbirnie to the first ball of the reply, followed by Stirling before the end of the powerplay.
Curtis Campher justified his recent elevation up the order with a fluent 66 that included ten boundaries, sharing stands of 52 with Harry Tector (21) and 43 with Lorcan Tucker (28) that meant his side were always in control.
A flurry of wickets halted the charge, but Mark Adair's unbeaten 25 sealed a four-wicket win that was more comfortable than the result suggested.
The final match of the three-game series is at the same venue on Sunday (7.15am).
BEST BOWLING FOR IRELAND IN AN ODI
# |
Name |
Date |
Opposition |
Ground |
Grade |
Figures |
1 |
J Little |
15-Dec-2023 |
Zimbabwe |
Harare |
ODI |
6-36 |
2 |
PR Stirling |
17-Mar-2017 |
Afghanistan |
Greater Noida, India |
ODI |
6-55 |
3 |
Simi Singh |
18-Jan-2021 |
UAE |
Sheikh Zayed Abu Dhabi |
ODI |
5-10 |
4 |
DT Johnston |
19-Apr-2009 |
Canada |
SuperSport Park Centurio |
ODI |
5-14 |
5 |
AR Cusack |
03-Jul-2010 |
Afghanistan |
Hazelaarweg Rotterdam |
ODI |
5-20 |
6 |
TJ Murtagh |
04-Jul-2019 |
Zimbabwe |
Stormont, Belfast |
ODI |
5-21 |
7 |
AR McBrine |
21-Jan-2021 |
Afghanistan |
Sheikh Zayed Abu Dhabi |
ODI |
5-29 |
8 |
CA Young |
08-Sep-2014 |
Scotland |
Malahide |
ODI |
5-46 |
9 |
BJ McCarthy |
07-Dec-2017 |
Afghanistan |
Sharjah Cricket Associat |
ODI |
5-46 |
10 |
A van der Merwe |
07-Sep-2010 |
Canada |
Toronto CC |
ODI |
5-49 |