Kevin O'Brien is going to test Google's credentials as the internet's favourite search engine in the days to come.
The 26-year old played an innings of brilliance and brutality and helped Ireland upset England in a World Cup Group ‘B' match during a feverish run-chase at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday night. It is but natural that interest around Kevin is bound to increase infinitely.
Kevin's hundred (113, 63b, 13x4, 6x6), the fastest in the premier event's history, sealed a three-wicket victory for Ireland over England. Chasing England's 327 for eight, Ireland scored 329 for seven in 49.1 overs which at one stage seemed impossible as the ‘minnows' were wobbling at 111 for five in 24.2 overs.
Staring at an asking rate of 6.54 and saddled with a past of losing its earlier three ODIs against its neighbour, Ireland suffered a body blow when captain William Porterfield dragged James Anderson's wide delivery onto the stumps. The woes continued as Paul Stirling, Edward Joyce, and Niall O'Brien only peddled cameos as off-spinner Graeme Swann enjoyed the generosity of aggressive batsmen.
Change in script
The script inexorably changed when Kevin's shots against Swann helped the Irish fans find their voice in the VIP Box. His parents soon swung from wild hope to absolute certainty about the magic that their son was uncorking on the field.
Kevin's stinging shots warmed the hands of fans in the members stand and he also displayed soft hands with a dainty flick off Swann. He slammed Anderson to reach his fifty and along with Alex Cusack, cracked 62 runs in the batting Power Play (overs 32 to 36).
Kevin revealed a voracious urge to scrape the upper tiers with massive hits while England inexplicably displayed sweaty palms. Captain Andrew Strauss dropped Kevin on 91 and Michael Yardy failed to hold on in his follow-through when Cusack was on 32.
Fastest hundred
Cusack got run out in the final stretch but by then he had added 162 runs spanning just 103 deliveries for the sixth-wicket with the explosive Kevin (100 from 50 balls), who stormed past Mathew Hayden's 66-ball ton against South Africa in the 2007 edition.
The match had turned on its head and Ireland scripted a fairy-tale finish despite Kevin's run-out in the penultimate over. Soon scenes of delirium erupted on the turf as Ireland stumped its ‘Big Brother'. “It was a bit of a shock,” Strauss mumbled and that perhaps was an understatement.
In the afternoon, Strauss nursing the feel-good factor of his recent 158 against India and the added joy of Wednesday being his birthday, opted to bat.
He remained sedate while Kevin Pietersen (59) flourished. The high back-lift and the quick whip down the on-side was brought into play as Pietersen tucked into the goodies that zeroed into his pads while Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnston strived to pin the flamboyant batsman within the crease.
In contrast, Strauss remained subdued and lost his leg-stump to left-am spinner George Dockrell. At the other end, Pietersen pick his spots across mid-wicket but fell while trying to reverse-sweep off-spinner Paul Stirling.
Good stand
England then found sustenance through Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell as the duo shared 167 runs for the third-wicket. Trott, one of England's few bright spots with two centuries in the disastrous 1-6 ODI series loss against Australia recently, square-drove Mooney and maintained a steady pace in a run-a-ball innings.
On 64, Trott joined two other eminent men as the fastest to reach the 1000-run mark in ODIs. Trott has galloped to 1000 ODI runs in 21 innings to equal the record held by Sir Vivian Richards and Pietersen.
Trott's ally Bell kept pegging away and also revealed an impetuous streak when he knelt down and scooped Johnston. Trott and Bell seemed set for their respective hundreds but were dismissed within a span of four deliveries.
And from 288 for four in 44.3 overs, England lost four more for the addition of just 39 in the last 33 deliveries and that came to haunt the team when Kevin owned the night.
Scoreboard:
England: A. Strauss b Dockrell 34 (37b, 2x4, 1x6), K. Pietersen c N. O'Brien b Stirling 59 (50b, 7x4, 2x6), J. Trott b Mooney 92 (92b, 9x4), I. Bell c Stirling b Mooney 81 (86b, 6x4, 1x6), P. Collingwood c K. O'Brien b Mooney 16 (11b, 1x6), M. Prior b Johnston 6 (5b, 1x4), T. Bresnan c Johnston b Mooney 4 (8b), M. Yardy b Johnston 3 (6b), G. Swann (not out) 9 (5b, 1x4); Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-20): 23; Total (for eight wkts. in 50 overs): 327.
Fall of wickets: 1-91, 2-111, 3-278, 4-288, 5-299, 6-312, 7-317, 8-327.
Ireland bowling: Rankin 7-0-51-0, Johnston 10-0-58-2, Cusack 4-0-39-0, Dockrell 10-0-68-1, Mooney 9-0-63-4, Stirling 10-0-45-1.
Ireland: W. Porterfield b Anderson 0 (1b), P. Stirling c Pietersen b Bresnan 32 (28b, 5x4, 1x6), E. Joyce st. Prior b Swann 32 (61b, 3x4), N. O'Brien b Swann 29 (36b, 2x4, 1x6), G. Wilson lbw b Swann 3 (14b), K. O'Brien (run out) 113 (63b, 13x4, 6x6), A. Cusack (run out) 47 (58b, 3x4, 1x6), J. Mooney (not out) 33 (30b, 6x4), T. Johnston (not out) 7 (4b, 1x4); Extras (b-5, lb-16, w-12): 33; Total (for seven wkts. in 49.1 overs): 329.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-62, 3-103, 4-106, 5-111, 6-273, 7-317.
England bowling: Anderson 8.1-1-49-1, Broad 9-0-73-0, Bresnan 10-0-64-1, Yardy 7-0-49-0, Swann 10-0-47-3, Collingwood 5-0-26-0.
