Pakistan showcased their dominance in the ultimate match of the T20I series against Ireland, securing a convincing six-wicket victory in the deciding clash on Tuesday (May 14). Shaheen Afridi spearheaded a remarkable bowling performance, claiming 3 wickets for just 14 runs, which proved pivotal in restricting the hosts to 178 runs when they seemed poised for a higher total. The formidable duo of Babar Azam (75 off 42) and Mohammad Rizwan (56 off 38) then stole the show with a formidable 139-run partnership for the second wicket, guiding Pakistan to victory with three overs to spare.
In the absence of regular captain Paul Stirling, Ireland faced the challenge of setting a competitive total after being put in to bat by Babar. The innings started sluggishly, managing only a run per ball in the first 15 deliveries before Shaheen Afridi rattled Ross Adair’s stumps with a full inswinger. However, stand-in skipper Lorcan Tucker injected much-needed impetus into the innings, launching a six and two fours off Hasan Ali’s opening over, reports Cricket Live Score.
By the end of the PowerPlay, Ireland reached 50/1, and they continued to accelerate in the post-PowerPlay phase, with Andrew Balbirnie and Tucker taking on Hasan Ali for boundaries. Tucker reached a brisk half-century off just 29 balls, including three boundaries in a single over from Saim Ayub. The partnership between Tucker and Balbirnie flourished until Rizwan’s exceptional catch dismissed Balbirnie for 35, ending the partnership at 85 runs.
Despite losing Balbirnie, Tucker persisted with his aggressive approach, smashing three consecutive boundaries off Hasan Ali in the 13th over. With the hosts positioned at 132/2 at the start of the 14th over, they seemed poised for a formidable total. However, their momentum took a hit when Tucker, after a splendid 73 off 41 balls, mistimed a shot off Imad Wasim and was caught at long-off. Ireland’s innings faltered thereafter, managing only 31 runs in the final four overs. Shaheen Afridi claimed two more wickets, dismissing Neil Rock and Mark Adair, to restrict Ireland to 178 runs.
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