The inaugural edition of the Wild Atlantic Way Series took centre stage at Lydican, Galway, where Munster Heat secured a five-wicket victory over a more experienced Connacht XI. Due to rain delaying the start of play, the match was reduced to 24 overs per side.
A distinguished delegation attended the historic fixture, including Cricket Ireland President Bryan O’Donnell, CCU President Rakesh Dalwani, MCU President Jack Filen, MCU Chairperson Kevin O’Sullivan, and CCU Chairperson Jeff Smith. The sides were led by two former Irish internationals, with Kevin O’Brien coaching Connacht and Jeremy Bray guiding Munster.
First Innings: Connacht XI
After winning the toss, Connacht elected to bat. Openers S Nasim and SS Burra provided a solid platform, putting on 51 runs for the first wicket before Nasim (14) was caught by Callum Stevenson off the bowling of William Shields. Burra anchored the top order, scoring a half-century (50 runs off 45 balls, including 7 fours and 1 six). At the 12-over drinks break, Connacht looked well-placed at 79 for 2.
However, Munster’s bowling attack triggered a middle-order collapse during the second powerplay, where Connacht lost 7 wickets for 68 runs. The spin tandem of Seneth Sumasinghe (3 for 20) and Mark Donnelly (2 for 8) restricted the scoring effectively. Shields also picked up 2 for 25 with a hostile and disciplined pace spell.
A lower-order contribution from P Saner, who remained unbeaten on 32 off 29 balls, alongside J Juneja (10), helped push Connacht to a final total of 136 for 9 from their allotted 24 overs.
Second Innings: Munster Heat
Munster’s chase suffered an immediate setback when opener Z Khan was dismissed for a duck on the second ball of the innings, caught by M Danish off I Sumit.
Despite the early loss, Brian Upman (33) and Awais Saghir stabilized the innings with a rapid 50-run partnership off just 28 deliveries. Saghir led the counter-attack, striking three boundaries and five sixes. He accumulated 50 runs off 40 balls before being caught by M Sufiyan off the bowling of N Bharadwaj, securing a well-deserved half-century.
Bharadwaj bowled a tight spell for Connacht, claiming 3 for 21 across his 5 overs to keep his side in contention. He removed Upman, Saghir, and AS Azizuallah (5) to reduce Munster to 94 for 4. Niall Donnelly was later run out by Nasim for 4, leaving the match finely poised.
Sunil Gautam provided the necessary stability, remaining unbeaten on 23 from 27 balls to guide Munster close to the target. Bakhtyar Nabi entered late to conclude the chase, striking a four and a six in an unbeaten 11 off 5 balls to secure the victory with 14 balls to spare.
Hero of the Match
Awais Saghir (Munster Heat): His aggressive 50 off 40 balls shifted the momentum of the run chase completely, allowing Munster to stay ahead of the required run rate early on despite regular wickets falling in the middle overs.
Coach’s Reflections
Following the match, Munster Heat coach Jeremy Bray expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance:
- Delighted with the victory against a more experienced Connacht side.
- Praised young spinners Seneth Sumasinghe and Mark Donnelly for adapting maturely to short boundaries, and keeper Callum Stevenson for his 2 catches behind the stumps.
- Highlighted William Shields for unsettling opposition batters with his pace, and commended a solid fielding display.
- Acknowledged top-order contributions from Awais Saghir and Brian Upman, and noted the potential of Under-16 player Abubaker (AS Azizuallah).
- Commended Sunil Gautam for seeing the game through and Bakhtyar Nabi for a clinical finish.
Thank you to the Match Officials
- Umpires: Steve Wood and Tracey Pasquill
- Scorers: Sarah Barry and Zajeer Ahmed
- Thanks also to Pat Donnelly for the images
