PAK defeated Ireland in the second T20 innings
Pakistan defeated Ireland by 7 wickets on Sunday during the second T20I match held in Dublin, thereby avenging their first defeat and setting up a deciding last match of the three-match series.
Ireland had inflicted a crushing defeat on Pakistan during the first match of the T20I held on Friday, winning by 5 wickets (1 ball). The victory marked Ireland’s first cricket victory over Pakistan since the 2007 World Cup match held at Kingston.
The PAK team was heavily criticised during the previous match for their on-field sluggishness and lack of preparedness, despite being one of the top-tier teams in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
Given the previous playoff on Friday, Ireland started its assault in hopes of a quick victory. The opening batsmen duo of Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie dished out 29 runs in the first three-overs before Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed the duo in the fourth over, sending them back to the pavilion.
Following the loss of wickets, Lorcan Tucker and Harry Tector (32 r-28 b) entered the crease, adding 62 runs for Ireland, before Fakhar Zaman snubbed Tucker (51 r-34 b) by a catch out.
Curtis Campher (22 r-13 b) and George Dockrell (15 r-8 b) added to the target before Gareth Delany’s 28 runs off 10 balls cameo set the target at 193 for 7 wickets.
While chasing targets, Pakistan received a shock in the first over as opener Saim Ayub (6 r-3 b) lost his wicket after Curtis Campher managed to convert Ayub’s attempt at a yorker into a catch.
The PAK team received the second jolt when team captain Babar Azam was dismissed by bowler Graham Hume. But Ireland’s hopes for a famous series win with one match to spare were shattered when the duo of Mohammad Rizwan (75 r-46 b) and Fakhar Zaman (78 r-40 b) set a 140-run partnership, ending the game with 195 runs, 7 wickets, and 19 balls to spare.
Chasing down such a high target against a top-tier team like Ireland redeemed Pakistan’s confidence ahead of the third ODI match scheduled for Tuesday. The victory further established PAK as a force to be reckoned with ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
PAK vs. IRE: Match Highlights, Player of the Match
For most of the game, Ireland held on to their aspiration of an easy victory over Pakistan, given the poor performance of the latter in the previous ODI of the T20I held on Friday.
It wasn’t until Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman entered the field that Ireland realised it was on a losing trajectory. The 140-run partnership raked by Rizwan and Fakhar contributed significantly to Pakistan’s blazing performance against Ireland in the second ODI held on Sunday. Apart from good gameplay, luck also played a part in Pakistan’s victory as Graham Hume failed to catch both Rizwan and Zaman early into their partnership.
Although Zaman was dismissed in the 14th over by a catch from Gareth Delany, his partner Rizwan remained unbeaten on 75 runs off 46 balls.
When Zaman’s replacement, Azam Khan, entered the field, he quickly picked up the game, scoring an impressive 30 runs from 10 balls and settling the final score at 195 runs, two more from the target set by Ireland.
It wasn’t a surprise when Mohammad Rizwan received his Player of the Match award after the game concluded, given his extraordinary performance against Ireland on their home turf.
Pakistan’s team captain, Babar Azam, gave credit to all the batters who took charge after the loss of two vital wickets in the first two overs. Azam said, “It’s a relief. All the credit goes to the batsmen for the way they played. After the bowling innings, we decided we would chase it in 18–19 overs. We utilised the powerplay and maintained momentum despite losing two wickets”.
The match on Sunday has dampened the morale of Ireland. Ahead of the third match scheduled for Tuesday in Dublin. Both Pakistan and Ireland have started training for the final showdown.
