Pakistan Vs Ireland First T20- After a gap of 15 years, Ireland and Pakistan finally clashed in a T20I game. Ireland, backed by Andy Balbirnie’s 77 runs, emerged victorious against Pakistan. It marked Ireland’s premiere triumph over Pakistan in this format. The prior encounter between these teams took place in the 2009 World T20.
Harry Tector laid the groundwork with a 77-run partnership with Balbirnie to pursue 183 runs. Then, George Dockrell and Curtis Campher stepped up, their brief but solid performances pushing Ireland across the finish line.
The outcome was nail-biting; Ireland had 40 runs to make in the final four overs, despite Pakistan having a spare over each from Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi and two additional ones from Abbas Afridi. The 17th over started with Abbas taking Dockrell’s wicket and giving away just three runs in the first four pitches. Yet, the familiar pattern of a bowler doing great at the beginning of an over, only to allow a late four runs and reduce the required rate, surfaced once again.
Next, Ireland needed 28 runs from 17 balls. Shadab Khan missed a hard catch, giving Balbirnie a second chance. Naseem mastered some Yorkers to make the game equal again. But Delany found space and smacked a low full toss through cover. That earned 11 runs in the over.
Shaheen approached his peak performance in the second to last over. Ireland needed 19 more at the start. He threw yorkers from around the wicket and took Balbirnie out with a curving, pitching strike. But Camper’s daring reverse ramp shot first ball over the keeper put Abbas on the spot with 11 to watch over in the last.
Campher was surprised by Abbas’s first ball, as it came in a little shorter than he expected. However, he skillfully navigated it, sending it between the wicketkeeper and short third, earning four points. He noticed a yorker that missed its mark and took advantage of it, evening the score. Finally, a clever leg bye was all it took to secure the win.
Balbirnie and Tector Set up the Chase
Ireland began their chase fiercely, which led to Naseem sending Paul Stirling off the field quite easily. Shaheen didn’t perform well in his first two overs; however, Abbas, who replaced him, hit a stroke right as he got the chance to bowl in the powerplay.
Despite entering the game with a score of 27 for 2, Tector wasn’t shy about aiming for the top spots. This gave Balbirnie the chance to get a foothold. Together, they boosted Ireland from a score of 43 for 2 in the short-stint powerplay to a healthier 84 for two after ten rounds. Shadab Khan was their chosen target, especially after Imad Wasim had managed to hold his own by tightening his game strategy.
Tector got out due to Imad, but Dockrell teamed up with Balbirnie. Their joint effort in the critical 14th over saw Shadab conceding 23 runs. There was a moment when a high ball was heading towards Iftikhar Ahmed at long-on. However, he accidentally stepped on the boundary rope, giving Dockrell a lucky break and added six runs, too. Balbirnie and Dockrell kept their pace steady, scoring approximately nine runs per over. This strategy led them towards a winning conclusion.
Ireland Chose to Field First against Pakistan
In the morning, Ireland chose to field first against Pakistan. Babar Azam partnered with Saim Ayub in the second set. At mid-off, Tector had Mohammed Rizwan run out. This happened when Ayub called Rizwan for a single and then told him to return.
Babar and Ayub had some wins and losses in the powerplay. They managed to strike the ball for six fours and a six. However, they also faced challenges against Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy. They couldn’t always get past their effective pitches.
After the initial stage, the two players faced Ben White and Curtis Campher, increasing their pace and scoring 53 more runs in the next five rounds. They took advantage of any overly full or short throws, but Ayub was caught out due to a poorly aimed throw from Delany, ending the impressive 85-run partnership in 57 swings.
Babar scored a fifty in just 39 balls during the 13th over. However, his scoring wasn’t consistent; he hit some and missed some. In the meantime, Fakhar Zaman failed to make a run. Young’s comeback in that same over pushed Pakistan on the back foot. Babar misjudged a slightly short ball. He caught it at long-on to end his run with a 57 on 43 balls. Azam Khan, aiming for a deep square leg, didn’t make it and got out on his second ball. A classic ‘two-ball duck’ it was.
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Pakistan’s game took a hit when they lost 3 out of 7 in just six balls from the 15th over. Fakhar was out in the 18th over, contributing 20 from 18 balls. Yet, this didn’t bother Iftikhar. He showed notable skills against Adair, hitting three sixes and a couple of fours from just eight balls. Iftikhar ended with quite a score of 38* from 15 balls. Shaheen’s two booming sixes off McCarthy in the 19th over gave a helping hand. Pakistan managed to rally 44 points in the last three overs, reaching 182. However, Ireland secured the game, chasing down the score with one ball remaining.