A devastating batting powerplay which saw the West Indies plunder 55 runs in five overs undermined Ireland’s excellent earlier efforts in restricting the opposition run-rate in this crucial World Cup group game in Mohali. Master-blaster Kieran Pollard plundered 94 in 55 balls to leave the men needing a daunting 276 for the win which would give their quarter-final qualification chances a huge boost.

Ireland had hoped it would be a lot less when West Indies were 142 for three off 35 overs as opener Devon Smith closed in on a relatively low-quality first ODI century but it could have been even worse had Pollard not eventually holed out off John Mooney’s bowling in the penultimate over. Had he stayed, the Windies might still have posted 300 so devastating is his hitting.

There is added depth in Ireland’s order today thanks to fit-again Andre Botha replacing Trent Johnston, ruled out this morning as a result of his knee injury, but it will be a tough task against the likes of paceman Kemar Roach and spinner Sulieman Benn who have been breaking other teams’ top order batting in this tournament. After a morning when Ireland bowled only five overs of spin – in contrast to 25 against India in Bangalore last Sunday evening – and the Windies innings ebbed and flowed it is hard to know exactly what constitutes a good score on this pitch. It appears to have few demons and short balls can be flayed with impunity – providing Ireland can cope with Roach’s express pace.

Both teams lost key men before the toss, with former captains Chris Gayle and Johnston ruled out by injury. The blows balanced each other out to some extent but Gayle’s absence – with an abdominal strain – was maybe more of a surprise as Johnson had appeared doubtful ever since damaging his knee bowling against India in Bangalore last Sunday.

Any team would be relieved not to have to face Gayle, one of the world’s most effortless hitter of sixes, at the outset but 2007 World Cup captain Johnston has been a real talisman for his adopted country and proved his worth as recently as those top 10 overs of the Indian innings a few days ago. Botha’s welcome return to full fitness meant Ireland at least had a vastly experienced and capable if not quite like-for-like replacement on a day when the musical chairs continued with Gary Wilson brought back in place of Andrew White for the second time in four matches.

A change instead of opening bowler, Botha has proved he can contain the world’s best batsmen better than most and, before injury struck, had been typically economical with the ball in the tournament opener against Bangladesh at Mirpur where he took three for 32 in nine overs. Not normally a new ball bowler, he could conceivably take it in these sub-continent conditions, or that task fall to Kevin O’Brien as it did regularly last summer, or slow-left-armer George Dockrell be brought on right away in line with the fashion in this tournament. In the event, it was Alex Cusack called upon to deliver the second over.

No-one would have been surprised when Porterfield, having won his first toss of the World Cup, put the West Indies in to bat in Ireland’s first day-game in this tournament. Aside from the hope of early movement for the seamers, without Gayle the Windies would have looked less dangerous up front batting than bowling and it felt like restricting the opposition and then chasing would be the best bet of achieving an invaluable victory – at least providing the explosive Pollard didn’t go too mad for too long.

With no disrespect to the enormously experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul, coming out at the start in Gayle’s absence, or his partner Smith, the opening pair hardly looked as explosive on paper as some combos that Ireland have faced already in the tournament and big Boyd Rankin who had faced early onslaughts in previous matches managed to open with a maiden to Smith and Cusack conceeded nothing either in his first six balls to Chanderpaul. The Windies finally opened their account when Smith sent the penultimate ball of Rankin’s second over down to third man for a single but Cusack, coming round the wicket, was able to deliver another three dots before being hit for the first four of the day off the fourth ball of the fourth over of the match.

So just five from the first four overs – in contrast to Bangladesh’s 41-0 at the same stage three games ago – and although six runs came from the first two balls of the fifth the next significant scoring shot was when Chanderpaul pierced the long-on boundary off the final delivery of the sixth and the same player needed to find the rope again at the end of the tenth over to take West Indies to a modest 28 for none by the conclusion of the mandatory powerplay.

It was a steady start by both teams and although the Windies were being kept relatively quiet, ideally Ireland would have liked a breakthrough before replacing Rankin with Mooney for the first over of the bowling powerplay. They might have had it off the fifth ball of the 10th but Stirling at short extra cover couldn’t hang onto a fierce blow from Smith as the tied down opener charged Cusack. In the previous over, Ireland’s other youngster, Dockrell, had done brilliantly to save a boundary by diving full length at third man. Mooney’s tidy opening over went for three singles and Botha was unlucky to see seven taken from his first as they included an edge for four and a single after Rankin had hit the stumps and the ball bounced away. Not that there were many to cheer it in a poorly populated stadium, but the fifty finally came up with a four for Smith from the last delivery of the 15th over as Mooney dropped short. It was 58-0 off 17 at drinks.

With 20 gone, West Indies were only on 70 in spite of Kevin O’Brien getting a taste of his own medicine when, having relieved Mooney, his first ball was lifted over long-on for a big six by Smith who was getting into his stride having earlier taken 54 balls for his first 23 runs. But Ireland’s own master-blaster responded with four dots and his next over only went for three runs before Stirling was called upon to bowl the first spin of the day in the 22nd over. Singles from the first two deliveries were the only runs off it and although Smith brought up his half-century in the next over at that end, it was in fortunate fashion courtesy of an inside edge for his fifth four.

O’Brien was proving economical at the other end, delaying Dockrell’s introduction, and having already bowled more overs than in the previous three matches combined, he struck twice in his fourth to remove Chanderpaul for 35 off 62 balls and the much heralded Darren Bravo for a three-ball duck. The opener was caught driving to extra cover where Porterfield held a good catch low down and his replacement was well yorked as he attempted an ambitious blow down the ground. It was 89 for two at the mid-point of the innings, those two wickets for O’Brien putting the gloss on Ireland’s excellent economy rate and, with the medium-pacers prospering, Porterfield turned to Cusack again in place of Stirling for the 26th over with no sign yet of Dockrell. The West Indies hundred came up in the 27th courtesy of a Ramnaresh Sarwan single after Smith had hit O’Brien for his sixth four.

A Cusack delivery down legside was helped for four by Smith but remarkably Ireland weren’t wided until the 34th. Slightly surprisingly, specialist death-bowler Botha came back for a sixth over, the 29th of the innings, in place of O’Brien – who had two for 22 in five from his spell – and was milked for six from it. Dockrell came into the attack and Smith immediately made his intentions clear but after a second ball boundary the rest of the over only produced one single to leave West Indies 118 for two with 30 overs gone.

Slightly surprisingly, Botha continued – this time giving away eight – and, really riding his luck, Smith survived another attempt to thrash Dockrell but the young spinner had his reward at the other end as Sarwan surprisingly lofted his flighted final ball of the 32nd over into the safe hands of Mooney at long-off to bring in big-hitter Pollard at 130 for three. Rankin, returning to take up the attack in place of Botha, beat the new man twice in his first four balls before he edged the fifth through the slips for a single to get off the mark.

With Pollard getting established and the Windies needing a move-on at 142 for three, they took the powerplay with 15 overs remaining and it immediately reaped rewards as Mooney went for 12 including a second boundary off a rank final ball, which took Smith into the nineties. Porterfield brought back O’Brien at the other end and he quickly went for his second six of the day as Pollard put him over deep mid-wicket. However he’d have been gone next ball had Mooney managed to hit the stumps from square leg after the striker had been sent back by his partner.

Instead Pollard survived to hit a second six before the over was out as a second successive over cost 12 runs and the game started swinging towards the Cup winners of 1975 and 1979. The captain turned to Botha but he went for 10 thanks to Wilson dropping Pollard on the run at long-on – ultimately a crucial miss – and a misfield by Stirling which handed Smith a boundary. Rankin became the fourth bowler in four powerplay overs but he too went for 12 including consecutive ball boundaries by Polland before a Smith single gave the opener his maiden ODI century off 124 balls.

Thankfully the final over of the powerplay, by Botha, was kept to single figures, though the nine runs would have been less but for Cusack’s slip in the field. However 55 from five overs, with power to add and Pollard now on 39 from 30 balls meant the Windies were suddenly setting their sights on 300 rather than hoping for 250. Even with the fielding restrictions lifted, Kevin O’Brien went for 12 more in the 41st over and Pollard completed his 35-ball half-century at the start of the next, bowled by Mooney.

Smith survived a reviewed lbw decision at the end of the over but didn’t last long as O’Brien bowled him for 107 to end a punishing stand of 88 in 10 overs and although Darren Sammy hit his first ball for four he was quickly back in the pavilion as, for the second time in the game, King Kev took two wickets in an over. This time the Windies skipper top-edged to Dockrell in the deep. There was some respite in the 44th thanks to Pollard losing strike to new batsman Devon Thomas – on whom Ireland used up their second referral – and Porterfield then brought back Rankin to bowl at him in place of O’Brien. The decision was vindicated as the over only went for two singles and Thomas was caught behind off the final ball to give Rankin what was, amazingly, his very first wicket of the tournament. With five overs to go it was 228 for six and all to play for.

Of course a lot would depend on Pollard and he hit another four and six off Mooney to take the initiative again for the favourites in racing past his previous ODI best of 62. He was impossible to tie down, carving Rankin’s final ball for four after the paceman had only gone for two off the first five of the 47th over. Twenty came off O’Brien in the next including successive sixes followed by a single to keep the strike.

Now on 94 off 54 balls, Pollard was on course to register the second fastest hundred in World Cup history – behind only O’Brien’s incredible 50-ball blast against England last week – but attempting to bring it up in the grand manner he holed out to Rankin at long-off and Mooney had two wickets in two balls when Andre Russell was clean bowled after the batsmen had crossed. Big Benn survived the hat-trick ball but the over only went for four, as did the final one, bowled by Botha. Benn was run out after a return to the bowler by Mooney and Roach was caught by Stirling as West Indies were all out to the final ball available.