Captain Babar Azam steered Pakistan to a tense victory, securing a three-wicket win against Ireland in their final Group A match of the T20 World Cup on Sunday, which was inconsequential as both teams had already been eliminated. Pakistan concluded their campaign in third place in the five-team group, accumulating four points following defeats to India and the United States, who advanced to the Super Eight stage. Ireland, on the other hand, finished at the bottom with just one point, failing to win a single match. Pakistan, after winning the toss and opting to field, saw Shaheen Afridi (3-22) dismissing Andrew Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker in the opening over, while Mohammad Amir (2-11) accounted for Paul Stirling and George Dockrell, leaving Ireland struggling at 28-5 by the sixth over. Gareth Delany (31 off 19 balls) attempted to steady Ireland's innings but was removed by Imad Wasim (3-8). A resilient last-wicket stand of 26 runs between Joshua Little (22 not out) and Benjamin White (5 not out) helped Ireland reach 106-9. Pakistan's innings began with the dismissals of openers Mohammed Rizwan and Saim Ayub (both 17) during the powerplay, and Barry McCarthy (3-15) further destabilized Pakistan by removing Usman Khan and Shadab Khan in the same over, making it 57-5. However, Azam (32 not out) stabilized the innings, leading Pakistan to achieve the target with seven balls remaining, marking a successful conclusion at Lauderhill's Central Broward Park stadium, which had seen three previous matches abandoned due to rain.
Text: Lara Palmer
16.06.2024
Pakistan Defeats Ireland in Final Group A Match, Both Teams Already Eliminated