T20 World Cup: Pakistan beat Ireland despite faltering in run-chase
Pakistan bow out of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup with a win against Ireland in Florida. Pakistan evaded another upset after chasing down a paltry 107. The Babar Azam-led side suffered a middle-order collapse, but the skipper held his nerve to get home. Ireland's Barry McCarthy took three wickets. Notably, both Pakistan and Ireland have been eliminated from the tournament.
Ireland get past 100 after suffering middle-order collapse
Shaheen Afridi ran through Ireland's top order after they were invited to bat. Mohammad Amir also joined Shaheen in the demolition as Ireland were 32/5 in the Powerplay. Gareth Delany and Mark Adair took Ireland past 70 from 32/6, but Imad Wasim broke the partnership by dismissing the duo. Joshua Little added a valuable 22* as Ireland scored 106/9 in 20 overs.
Pakistan falter after positive start
Pakistan openers Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub added 23 runs before Adair removed the latter. Rizwan also fell to McCarthy in the next over. While skipper Babar held one end, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, and Imad departed in single figures. Pakistan plunged from 39/1 to 62/6 in the 11th over. Babar returned unbeaten, while Shaheen sealed the deal with two sixes.
Best returns for McCarthy in T20 World Cup
Pacer Barry McCarthy was the pick of Ireland's bowlers in the match. He took three wickets for just 15 runs in four overs, including a maiden. McCarthy's twin wickets of Usman Khan and Shadab Khan in the 10th over turned the tide for Ireland. That was a double-wicket maiden. Notably, McCarthy recorded his career-best bowling figures at the T20 World Cup.
Ireland's fourth-lowest T20 WC total
Ireland's 106/9 is now their fourth-lowest total in T20 World Cups. This was only behind 68 (vs WI, Providence, 2010), 96 (vs IND, New York, 2024), and 101 (vs SL, Abu Dhabi, 2021). Notably, Ireland also registered the fifth-lowest total against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. They join Netherlands, New Zealand, and Canada on this list.
Shaheen, Imad trump Ireland
Shaheen dismissed Andrew Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker in the first over. The left-arm seamer then removed Harry Tector to bring Ireland down to 15/4. Shaheen conceded 22 runs in four overs. Ireland eventually plunged to 32/6 before Delany and Adair propelled them past 70. Imad dismissed the duo besides getting rid of Barry McCarthy. He conceded eight runs in four overs.
Two first-over wickets in 2024 T20 WC
As mentioned, Shaheen took two wickets in the first over itself. He became the fourth bowler to take two first-over wickets in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Notably, Shaheen is one of the four left-arm seamers.
Imad concedes eight runs in four overs
Imad gave away just eight runs in four overs. His tally included as many as 17 dot balls. As per Cricbuzz, Imad has conceded the fewest runs by a Pakistan bowler in a four-over spell in a T20 World Cup match.
