West Indies, in an embarrassing display of cricket, were handed a crushing 124-run defeat by Ireland in the opening One-Day International (ODI) at Dublin. Chasing a formidable target of 304 for victory, the Windies were dismissed for just 179 runs in the 35th over.

The chase got off to a disastrous start for the visitors, as they were reduced to a staggering 31 for 5 at one point. Things worsened shortly after, with the scoreboard reading a dire 71 for 6. With their backs firmly against the wall, the Windies looked set for an even heavier defeat. However, a spirited seventh-wicket partnership between Roston Chase and Matthew Forde gave the team a faint glimmer of hope.

Chase, the top scorer for the West Indies, fought valiantly for his 55 runs off 76 balls, while Forde supported with a valuable 38. Together, they added 98 runs to the total, but the damage had already been done. Justen Greaves (35) and Brandon King (19) were the only other Windies batters to reach double figures in an otherwise dismal batting performance.

On the bowling front, it was Ireland’s Barry McCarthy who led the charge, finishing with remarkable figures of 4 for 32. George Dockrell backed him up with a solid 3 for 21, sending the Windies packing in quick time.

Earlier, Ireland had put on a dominant display with the bat. Led by a magnificent century from opener Andy Balbirnie, the Irish posted a competitive total of 303 for 6 in their 50 overs. Balbirnie’s brilliant 112 from 138 deliveries included 9 fours and 4 sixes. He shared a solid opening stand of 109 runs with Paul Stirling, who contributed 54 to become the first Irish player to reach 10,000 international runs. Balbirnie also combined for a third-wicket partnership of 98 runs with Harry Tector, who hammered 56 off 51 balls. Lorcan Tucker chipped in with a quick-fire 30 from 18 balls, adding further momentum to Ireland’s innings.

The West Indies bowlers struggled to make an impact, with Matthew Forde being the best of the bunch, taking 3 for 68. Alzarri Joseph had figures of 2 for 51, while Roston Chase added a wicket for 42 runs.

With the series opener slipping through their fingers, the Windies will aim to regroup when both teams meet in the second and penultimate game of the series on Friday.