Ireland can qualify for knock-outs: Porterfield

Nelson (New Zealand), Feb 16 (IANS) Ireland captain William Porterfield said Monday they can qualify for the knock-out stage and are on the right track in achieving their objective after stunning the West Indies by four wickets in a Pool B World Cup match here Monday.

Ireland pulled off an upset win chasing down the West Indies score of 304 for seven in the 45.5 overs, courtesy knocks from Paul Stirling (92), Ed Joyce (84) and Niall O'Brien (79).

"We just want to keep proving ourselves. I believe Ireland can qualify for the knockout stages," said Porterfield at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Porterfield added it was great to kick-start their campaign with a big win and praised his team's batsmen for surpassing the high score without much trouble.

"It is obviously fantastic to win. This sets us up nicely for the next few games. Belief has been growing within the squad for a long time and we know what we are capable of, not just in this game but the other games in the competition as well," he said.

"A score of 300 was probably about par as we knew the pitch was good with a very quick outfield, so we felt it was well within grasp."

The Irish skipper also praised Stirling and Joyce for playing their part in the victory.

"Stirling and Joyce kicked on beautifully for us before Niall finished off the chase," the left-handed opener who scored 23 runs in the match, said.