Glenn Phillips's unbeaten fifty led New Zealand to a 3-0 Twenty20 series whitewash of Ireland with a six-wicket win at the Stormont ground in Belfast on Friday. Daryl Mitchell weighed in with a useful 32-ball 48 before James Neesham struck 23 off just six deliveries. Phillips was 56 not out as New Zealand chased down a target of 175 with an over to spare.
When Mitchell was caught and bowled by Josh Little, the Blackcaps were faltering at 147-4 with little more than three overs remaining.
But Phillips, who also made a match-winning fifty in the series opener, proved a thorn in Ireland's side again before the big-hitting Neesham made sure of victory.
Ireland's 174-6 featured veteran opener Paul Stirling's 40, with the hosts' total bolstered by Mark Adair's smashed 37 off 15 balls and Curtis Campher's 19 off eight.
Adair and Campher's unbeaten stand of 58 from 23 deliveries gave Ireland, who have suffered agonising white-ball defeats by both India and New Zealand this season, hope of victory.
But instead they suffered yet another loss to New Zealand, following a 3-0 reverse in the preceding one-day international series.
Brief scores
At Stormont:
Ireland 174-6, 20 overs (P Stirling 40; I Sodhi 2-27, B Tickner 2-35) v New Zealand 180-4, 19 overs (G Phillips 56 no, D Mitchell 48; J Little 2-33)
Result: New Zealand won by six wickets
Series: New Zealand win three-match series 3-0
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