Ireland fast bowler Liam McCarthy endured a forgettable outing on Sunday as he recorded the second-most expensive bowling spell in T20 International history during the third match against the West Indies at the Bready Cricket Club.
The 23-year-old right-arm pacer conceded a staggering 81 runs in his four-over spell without picking up a wicket — a record that places him just behind Gambia’s Musa Jobarteh, who conceded 93 runs in four overs against Zimbabwe in Nairobi earlier this year.
McCarthy’s spell, marred by a flurry of boundaries and sixes, is now the most expensive T20I bowling performance ever recorded by a player from a Test-playing nation.
His ordeal began with a wayward first over that went for 18 runs, punished by aggressive strokeplay from Shimron Hetmyer and debutant Keacy Carty. While McCarthy managed to pull things back slightly with a tighter second over that yielded only six runs, the final two overs proved disastrous.
Romario Shepherd and Carty launched a brutal assault on McCarthy in the death overs, plundering two fours and five sixes off his final 12 deliveries. The West Indies hammered 24 runs off his last over alone, pushing Ireland further on the back foot.
The West Indies capitalised on the onslaught to post a formidable total of 256 for five — their second-highest score in T20 internationals. The Caribbean side’s power-hitting display saw 11 boundaries and five sixes scored off McCarthy’s bowling alone.
The unwanted record sees McCarthy join a rare list of bowlers who have conceded 75 or more runs in a T20I innings. Before him, Sri Lanka’s Kasun Rajitha held the dubious distinction for a Test nation, having given away 75 runs in a T20I against Australia in Adelaide in 2019.
Sunday’s game proved to be a tough learning curve for the Irish pacer, who was handed the ball at key moments but failed to contain the explosive West Indian batting lineup.
