ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistan’s Win Leaves Ireland Without a Victory

ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistan’s Win Leaves Ireland Without a Victory

Shaheen hit two big sixes to make sure Pakistan didn't need to play the last over to win.

Shaheen Afridi played well, taking 3 wickets for 22 runs. He also scored 13 runs without getting out at the end. Because of his great performance, Pakistan won their game against Ireland in Florida on Sunday. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, this was their final match. However, it was not easy, Pakistan needed to score 107 runs to win. Still, they managed to reach the target with seven balls left to spare. This win meant that Ireland didn’t win any games in the tournament.

What made the Divergence?

Pakistan started the game strong by getting five of Ireland’s contenders out in the initial six overs. Even though Ireland tried to recover, the early damage was too much. Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub scored rapidly for Pakistan, getting almost 40 % of the needed runs early on. To secure victory, Ireland's effort to make up for lost time was inadequate.

At the Toss: Babar Azam chose to have his team field first after winning the toss. Pakistan replaced Naseem Shah with Abbas Afridi in their team, and Ireland swapped Craig Young with Ben White.

Ireland:

Initial Overs - 32/5 (RR: 5.33; 4x4s, 0x6s)

On a new cricket field that was covered for two days, two bowlers from Pakistan named Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Amir quickly got out six players from Ireland. They did this before the first part of the game was finished. The ball was moving in tricky ways, making it hard for the batters to hit it well. One of Ireland’s players, George Dockrell, hit the ball hard a few times but had to leave the game early. Also, Pakistan used up both chances they had to challenge the umpire’s decisions during this time.

Middle Overs - 54/4 (RR: 6.00; 3x4s, 3x6s)

Curtis Campher got out after three balls following the powerplay. But Gareth Delany and Mark Adair started attacking, especially Delany. Haris Rauf bowled at a good length, but Abbas Afridi struggled with his accuracy and slower deliveries. Despite this, Ireland managed to score runs in the middle overs. Shadab Khan was hit for runs after being brought into a bowl. Delany and Adair struggled against Imad Wasim, who bowled straight. Delany edged to Shaheen, and Adair was caught in the deep by Shaheen despite a collision. Barry McCarthy was bowled out of line.

Death Overs - 20/0 (RR: 4.00; 1x4s, 0x6s)

Pakistan needed only one more wicket in the final overs, but Josh Little and Ben White played well until the very last ball. Abbas had difficulties, and Little used that to help the team add 26 more runs, reaching a total of 106 for 9.

Pakistan:

Initial Overs - 40/2 (RR: 6.67; 5x4s, 1x6s)

Pakistan started their chase aggressively. Mohammad Rizwan hit a boundary by coming forward and striking Mark Adair. Saim Ayub also attacked, hitting Josh Little for two boundaries and Adair for a six. Both Rizwan and Ayub got out early in the game phase, but they set a good starting point for Pakistan's chase.

Middle Overs - 41/4 (RR: 4.56; 4x4s, 0x6s)

Ireland got lots of wickets quickly, with Barry McCarthy bowling well. Curtis Campher and McCarthy got two wickets, slowing Pakistan's scoring. Babar Azam played well, but Pakistan lost wickets often from the other end. This made Pakistan's chase harder than expected.

Death Overs - 30/1 in 3.5 overs (RR: 7.83; 0x4s, 3x6s)

Abbas Afridi helped Babar by staying with him as they tried to keep playing the game. Ireland's bowlers tried to stop Babar from hitting the ball in the last few overs. In the 18th over, Abbas tried to hit a six but got caught by the fielder at long-on. Ireland still had one over left from Little, but Delany bowled the second last over, with Pakistan needing to score a run for each ball. Shaheen hit two big sixes to make sure Pakistan didn't need to play the last over to win.

Score Summary:

Ireland was 106/9 at the end of 20 overs (Gareth Delany scored 31 runs, Joshua Little hit 22 boundaries; Imad Wasim took 3 wickets for 8 runs, and Shaheen Afridi scored 22 boundaries). They were defeated by Pakistan 111/7 in 18.5 overs (Babar Azam hit 32 boundaries; Barry McCarthy took 3 wickets for 15 runs, Curtis Campher took 2 wickets for 24 runs). The match ended with Ireland losing by 3 wickets.