DUBLIN – Ireland dished out all-round show to beat Pakistan by 5 wickets in the first T20I on Friday.
Chasing a target of 183, Ireland’s Andrew Balbirnie played a stellar innings, scoring 77 runs off 55 balls before being outclassed by ace pacer Shaheen Afridi.
Skipper Paul Stirling contributed 8 runs before being caught by Pakistani captain Babar Azam off Naseem Shah. Lorcan Tucker, the wicketkeeper, returned on 4 runs off 7 balls, but his innings was cut short by a catch from Fakhar Zaman off Abbas Afridi.
Harry Tector scored 36 runs off 6 balls before being caught by Shaheen Afridi off Imad Wasim. George Dockrell added 24 before being caught by Fakhar Zaman off Abbas Afridi. Gareth Delany and Curtis Campher remained not out, with Delany scoring 10 and 15.
Pakistan vs Ireland T20 Score
Ireland won the toss of the maiden match against Pakistan on Friday and invited hosts to bat first at the Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin.
Despite early blow of Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistani skipper Babar Azam and Saim Ayub stitched good partnership. Men in Green set a target of 183 runs, skipper Babar Azam led the charge, scoring 57 off 43 balls, while Saim Ayub contributed 45 off 29 balls.
Seasoned player Iftikhar Ahmed also played a crucial knock, scoring an unbeaten 37 off just 15 balls.
After Saim’s departure, Green Shirts lost four wickets for mere 31 runs. Iftikhar’s late blitz, along with Shaheen Shah Afridi’s blasting knock helped Asian side to reach competitive total.
For Ireland, Craig Young got 2/27 while Tector, and Benjamin White got one wicket each.
