NEW Zealand got their preparations for the International Cricket Council (ICC) 2010 Twenty20 tournament here in the West Indies off to a bright start when they defeated Ireland by 40 runs in their first warm-up game at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, yesterday.
Scores in the match, New Zealand 187-5, Ireland 147-9.
Opting to bat first in overcast conditions, New Zealand got off to a rousing start, with Jesse Ryder returning from a groin injury  hitting  64 (5×4, 5×6; 31 balls) and Rob Nicol 31 (25 balls, 2×4; 1×6) adding 104 from nine overs, with Ryder hitting Boyd Rankin for two fours in the first over of the innings.
A six off the bowling of Trent Johnson over mid-wicket by Ryder, posted New Zealand’s 50 from 5.2 overs and he responded with three more sixes off the same bowler in his next over, as the Black Caps galloped to 92-0 from eight overs.
The 100 was posted in the ninth over, after which the Irish struck when the pugnacious looking Ryder was bowled by off-spinner Paul Sterling (1-24) and he was quickly followed by Nicol who was caught off the bowling of slow left-arm spinner George Dockrell who was the most successful bowler for Ireland with 3-24 off his four overs.
Scott Styris and Gareth Hopkins who both scored five each, were dismissed in quick succession by Dockrell, before Martin Guptil, who made an even 50 from 37 deliveries with three fours and a similar number of sixes, and skipper Daniel Vettori (18*) added 45 for the fifth wicket from three overs.
Guptil cashed in on the boundary-scoring act by his fellow teammates hitting Sterling, Dockrell and Kevin O’Brien for maximums, while an audacious drive through extra cover for four off Sterling, signified the authority New Zealand had established against their opponents.
In looking to hit Kevin O’Brien for his fourth six, he got a top edge and was caught at backward square leg, after which, Vettori cashed in with a four and a six in his unbeaten 18 to guide his team to 187-5 off their 20 overs.
The Phil Simmons-coached Ireland team suffered an early setback when they began their reply, losing Sterling who was bowled by Nathan McCullum off the second ball of the first over and even though Niall O’Brien reverse-swept the same bowler for six over midwicket, he was smartly stumped by wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins off the next delivery to leave his team on 19-2 after three overs.
William Porterfield (33) and Gary Wilson (30) added 63 for the third wicket, with Porterfield hitting one four and one six from the 30 deliveries he faced, while Wilson struck three fours including two off Daniel Vettori, before the former was caught by Styris off Jacob Oram (1-17) at 82-3.
Wilson was next to go, stumped by Hopkins off McCullum seven runs later, but Trent Johnson made a quick-fire 17 from 12 deliveries with two sixes over long on off both Vettori and Styris, before he was stumped by Hopkins off Styris (1-31), leaving Ireland on 112-5 after 14 overs.
McCullum, who bowled a tidy line and length against his lesser known opponents ended with 3-25 from his four overs, as Ireland declared their innings closed at 147-9 made off 19.4 overs, as they lost wickets at regular intervals in the closing stages of the match.