Ireland's Australia-born opener Jeremy Bray pulls on his way to an unbeaten 115 against Zimbabwe at Sabina Park yesterday. The match ended in a tie. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

IRELAND CELEBRATED their first appearance in the Cricket World Cup when, after looking dead and buried, they hit back magnificently to tie an exciting match against Zimbabwe at Sabina Park yesterday.

In a nail-biting finish which saw last man Edward Rainsford run out while backing up too far off the last delivery of the match, Ireland, down the barrel with Zimbabwe chasing 222 to win and striding home at 203 for five, grabbed the last five wickets for 18 runs in 6.4 overs to set off a wonderful celebration as their players raced around the field in unrestrained jubilation.

Following the Australia/South Africa match at Edgbaston in 1999 and the Sri Lanka/South Africa contest at Kingsmeade in 2003, yesterday's result marked the third tie in the history of the Cup.

Led by captain Prosper Utseya who, bowling some tight off-spin, conceded only 29 runs from his 10 overs, pacer Elton Chigumbura, who bagged two for 20 from six, and pacer Gary Brent with two for 40 from his 10, Zimbabwe limited Ireland to 221 for nine in their 50 overs, and then, with Vusimuzi Sibanda scoring 67 off 84 deliveries and Stuart Matsikenyeri smashing 73 not out off 77 deliveries, it seemed all over bar the shouting for Ireland.

Hunter becomes the hunted

At 203 for five in the 44th over, however, after Matsikenyeri and Brendan Taylor, 24, had pulled them around with a sixth-wicket partnership of 70, Taylor was run out, and with Gary Brent falling leg before wicket to Andre Botha for three at 212 for seven, suddenly, the hunter became the hunted.

Utseya made it 213 for eight when he was caught by Eoin Morgan off Kevin O'Brien for one; it was 213 for nine when Mpofu, in the 49th over, played O'Brien straight to captain Trent Johnston at mid-on, raced down the pitch, was sent back by Matsikenyeri, and was run out. And with Zimbabwe picking up eight of the nine runs needed for victory off five deliveries of the final over, Matsikenyeri swung at the last delivery of the match bowled by medium pacer Andrew White, missed the ball, and in the confusion that followed, Rainsford who started to go and then turned back, was run out.

In contrast to Tuesday's opening day when a jam-packed Sabina Park buzzed with excitement and cheers rang around the ground, there were only a handful of fans on hand yesterday and the park was relatively quiet.

In fact, but for a couple hundred Irish supporters, some dressed in green, some topless and enjoying the sun, and all of them cheering every effort by their team, 'Bina would have been more like a churchyard than the scene of a World Cup contest.

In tying the game, Ireland should say thank you to Jeremy Bray - their man from New South Wales in Australia who gave their supporters a lot to cheer about before the excitement of the final few minutes.

sent in to bat

Taking strike after Ireland had lost the toss and were sent to bat, the big left-hander, after losing partner William Portfield - caught by Sibanda from wicketkeeper Taylor off Mpofu for zero at zero for one in the first over of the innings, smashed an undefeated 115 off 137 deliveries to celebrate his first appearance in the World Cup.

Batting undefeated to the end of the innings, Bray joined the likes of Glenn Turner of New Zealand - 171 not out versus East Africa at Edgbaston and 114 not out against India at Old Trafford in 1975, and Gordon Greenidge of the West Indies - 106 not out versus India at Edgbaston in 1979 and 105 not out against Zimbabwe at New Road, Worcestershire, in 1983 - as batsmen who, after taking first strike, batted unconquered to the end.

tarting with a superb cover-drive off Mpofu - the medium-pacer who impressed in his first spell, Bray, driving non-chalantly off his front foot through the offside, whipping the ball away off his legs through the onside and cutting and hooking, stroked 10 fours and blasted two sixes, every one but his second six, an attempted backfoot cut off Chigumbura that flew off the top edge and over slips, coming out of the middle of his bat.

In a day to remember, Matsikenyeri also played some glorious strokes - none better than, just before the collapse, a powerful cover drive off White