On the second day of play in the Intercontinental Cup, the good news was that Canada took the three remaining Irish wickets for just 27 runs, and then smashed 451 runs from 93 overs of Irish bowling. The bad news was that they lost twenty wickets in the process, losing the match by an innings and 11 runs with two days remaining. The highlight for Canada was Cheema’s second innings of 97 in 45 balls but overall the batsmen failed to show the application required against strong opponents.

Canada took the last three Irish wickets in nine overs when play resumed, Ireland totaling an intimidating 462. Chohan took four wickets, but conceded 101 runs. Canada, needing 313 to avoid the follow-on, got off to a poor start when Patel was caught at slip in the first over. Gunasekera and Kumar played positively, and brought up the fifty in the eleventh over. Gunasekera hit Dockerell for three consecutive boundaries, the first a straight six out of the ground, to bring up his fifty at a run a ball. They put on 87 before Kumar was caught at mid-on for 27, in the over before lunch.
Canada lost three quick wickets in the period after lunch, with Van der Merwe bowling Siddiqui and then having Gunasekera stumped for 61. Hansra then was leg before to Dockerell, leaving Canada at 123/5. Cheema decided to play his normal game, and launched an attack on the spinners. He made 28 from 24 balls, with three sixes before being caught in the gully. Chohan was run out for a duck, and at 174/7 the end was nigh. Hazma Tariq contributed a useful 33, but Canada were all out for 194. The run rate of 4.4/ over suggested that Canada’s approach was perhaps best suited to shorter forms of the game; they had another opportunity to demonstrate they can play four-day cricket when they follow-on.
Patel lasted four balls in the first innings, and improved in the second, but only marginally – Mooney bowled him with the 5th ball of the second innings. Kumar hit four boundaries in his 19, but van der Merwe, building on his 5 wickets in the first innings, dismissed both Kumar and Gunasekera – 41/3. Siddiqui made 19 before being beaten and bowled by Eaglestone. Cheema played himself in- for five balls – and then hit van der Merwe for twenty three off his next over, including three big sixes. The hundred came up in 16 overs. Hansra hit the last ball of the 17th over for six, and Cheema followed up with a sequence of 4646 in the next over. A partnership of 60 in 39 balls came to an end when Hansra was caught for 20. A boundary and a single took Cheema to a 19-ball fifty. Cheema hit his 10th six to take him to 97 but was caught by the keeper down the legside off the next ball. His astonishing innings took just 45 balls with 16 boundaries, and was his best in first class cricket. He made 97 from 116 runs added while he was at the wicket. After the Cheema whirlwind, the game returned to a more normal pace with Chohan and Tariq taking Canada past their first innings total- in 16 fewer overs. Chohan made 5, and Tariq a patient 34 from 64 balls, but Ireland claimed the extra half hour, looking for the two remaining Canadian wickets to wrap up a two-day victory. The end came quickly after Baidwan (29) was caught behind, Hussain followed next ball – Canada ll out 257, and Ireland the winners by an innings in two days.
Cricinfo scorecard; Photos from Cricket Europe- Day 1; Day 2