50 overs Ireland 216 (Dockrell 74, McBrine 28, Bracewell 2-26, Santner 2-32, Henry 2-40) vs New Zealand

After overnight and early-morning rains delayed the start by half an hour, Henry set to work immediately by swinging and seaming the new ball. The mandatory powerplay, in which Ireland managed only 19 for 2, was straight out of a passage of play from Test cricket. Henry relentlessly plugged away in the channel outside off, as did Duffy, who was making his ODI debut at the expense of Lockie Ferguson, threatening both the outside and inside edges.

Believe it or not, Henry’s powerplay analysis read 5-3-4-2. He struck in the very first over when he swung a full ball into a crease-bound Paul Stirling’s back pad in a wicket-maiden. Andy Balbirnie misjudged a similar inswinger and watched it thud into the bails after he offered no shot. Much like Henry, Duffy began his shift with a maiden but unlike Henry he extracted significant extra bounce.

Ireland needed 21 balls to get off the mark and 57 balls to find the fence. It was Andy McBrine who ended the boundary drought when he belted Duffy through the covers. In the next over, bowled by Henry, McBrine hit two more fours to briefly repair the innings.

McBrine scored 28 off 48 balls before Bracewell pushed an offbreak well wide of off stump and had him stumped. It was Bracewell’s second wicket of the day. He had stuck in his first over, too, when he had an advancing Harry Tector slicing a catch to long-on.

Dockrell and Simi Singh got together at this point and struck up a 59-run seventh-wicket stand off 48 balls. After seeing off threatening spells from Bracewell and Santner, Dockrell lined up the seamers by regularly manufacturing swinging room and lifting the ball over the off-side infield. That the ball had now stopped swinging for Henry, Duffy and Blair Tickner also aided Dockrell. He notched up his third ODI fifty off 48 balls and celebrated it with a sequence of 4,4,4, 6 in six balls; the highlight being the straight six off Santner in the 44th over.

In the next over, however, Dockrell holed out to long-on to give Duffy his first ODI scalp. Bracewell, who had handed Duffy his maiden cap, was the one who snaffled the catch in the outfield.

Simi rode his luck – he survived a tight stumping on 11 – and miscued a brace of reverse-sweeps before he was run-out for 16. Santner closed out his spell by having Craig Young nicking behind to Tom Latham for a duck, but Mark Adair clattered an unbeaten 27 off 15 balls to haul Ireland past 200.

All up, New Zealand’s spinners bowled 24 overs between them, giving up just 76 runs for five wickets.