Ireland wrapped up the T20I series against Italy with a 24-run win in the second of three games in Dubai.
After losing the toss, Ireland batted first in warm but cloudy conditions. Despite the early loss of Ross Adair (1), Paul Stirling and player of the match Harry Tector put on 28 runs in the next 19 balls to give the Irish innings momentum.
Stirling fell for 23, out LBW while attempting a scoop shot, but Tector went on the charge – and together with Lorcan Tucker they put on a quickfire 62-run stand for the 3rd wicket.
Tucker looked impressive for his 27, but fell reverse sweeping, caught at point.
At the other end, Tector was in a belligerent mood bringing up his half-century in 34 balls. Ben Calitz (16 off 10 balls) and George Dockrell (21 off 7 balls) came and went, but Tector increasingly looked towards the straight boundaries as he moved towards what would have been a remarkable century.
In the 20th over, Tector was on 88* and had the strike. He immediately struck two boundaries to move to 96*, but on the third ball he took a leg bye to move off strike, still four runs short of a century. That ended up being Tector's last ball he faced and he finished the innings on 96* from 56 balls (13 fours).
In the reply, Italy put up plenty of fight, but the target of 191 proved just out of reach. While Anthony Musca (69) and Wayne Madson (61) built a solid partnership of 125, the target remained a difficult proposition with the required run rate mounting with every passing over.
Eventually, the Italians finished on 166-4 from their 20 overs – giving Ireland a 24-run win and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
The sides return to action on Monday (2pm Irish time).
