Player of the Match
Player of the Match

END OF OVER:
20 | 19 Runs | PAK: 182/6 | RR: 9.10

  • Shaheen Shah Afridi14 (8b)
  • Iftikhar Ahmed37 (15b)
  • Mark Adair4-0-40-1
  • Barry McCarthy4-0-39-0

Babar equals Kohli's 38 50+ scores in T20Is

Faizan : "Those four dot balls in a 12 run over are gonna hurt Pakistan in the end. Shaheen needs to understand the importance of rotating also"

Tahir : "It's amazing to see how many balls have missed. Some serious bowling by Ireland "

Mashkoor Naqvi : "Saim factor: Till Saim presence Pakistan scored 92 runs on 68 balls, after his fall till 18th over end it only scored 59 runs on 50 balls. Middle over syndrome hits again."

Usmaan: "Shaheen coming ahead of Imad. Seriously??"

SalmanKhan: "Pakistan might get away with this one but they seriously need to improve their performance in the middle over. It can cost us very important matches in the upcoming world cup.PS: Azam Khan should be rested forever."

Ali Hasni: "Fakhar is mismatch on this position. Either he should open or wait for an opener to create space for him, else he will ruin his career"

Areez: "Pakistan fans are way too over thinkers. Pakistani bowlers have the ability to defend this total"

That was a fun first half. Spirited bowling from Ireland keeps Pakistan at 182/6, thanks largely to Saim Ayub's brisk 45 and a fifty from captain Babar Azam. Onslaught from Iftikhar and Shaheen down the order propelled the score to a respectable one. Craig Young was on top of his game and only conceded 27 runs in his spell, taking the key wickets of Babar Azam and Azam Khan. Ireland were brilliant in the field and that could be the difference in the end. Stay tuned for Pakistan's reply

19.6
1
Adair to Shaheen Shah Afridi, 1 run, Final delivery, round the wicket, hits the deck hard and gets plenty of purchase, tries to have him down the ground but there is not much oomph behind the shot as the ball spirals away to wide long-off and they only get a single
19.5
1
Adair to Iftikhar Ahmed, 1 run, Over the wicket, rams the yorker in the quiet zone, digs it out to long-on, Adair runs back and fields off his own bowling to keep them down to one
19.4
0
Adair to Iftikhar Ahmed, no run, Snuffs out a yorker right into the blockhole, Adair lost the ball and a run-out opportunity at non-striker's end has gone begging, Shaheen was standing in the middle of the crease
19.3
6
Adair to Iftikhar Ahmed, SIX, Oh, that's a biggee! Right out of the screws, crouches and lifts it up and over deep midwicket and it's gone out of the park. Uses his lumberjack strong wrists to club it into the stands
19.2
4
Adair to Iftikhar Ahmed, FOUR, Makes room and unfurls a gorgeous late cut past third man for a four, this is exactly what the doctor prescribed for Pakistan, Iftikhar giving the visitors the much-needed impetus towards the end
19.2
1w
Adair to Iftikhar Ahmed, 1 wide, Short and sprays it down the leg side, he'll have to reload
19.1
6
Adair to Iftikhar Ahmed, SIX, Smacked over fine leg for a six, not the ideal line, errant delivery down leg, he quickly got down and sashayed across a little on off, gets a top-edge that is enough to send the ball on a trip to the boundary

END OF OVER:
19 | 12 Runs | PAK: 163/6 | RR: 8.57

  • Shaheen Shah Afridi13 (7b)
  • Iftikhar Ahmed20 (10b)
  • Barry McCarthy4-0-39-0
  • Mark Adair3-0-21-1
18.6
6
McCarthy to Shaheen Shah Afridi, SIX, Watches the sky in incredulity after being clonked for a big six over midwicket, finally manages to connect and connects pretty well! More punishment for Ireland, was a hefty blow
18.5
0
McCarthy to Shaheen Shah Afridi, no run, And once again, using his bat like a swinging door, should hold his composure. Once again banged in short in the channel, tries to plonk him into the leg side but can't lay bat on it
18.4
0
McCarthy to Shaheen Shah Afridi, no run, Continues to pepper him with short mean stuff and Shaheen is left frustrated, carbon copy of the previous ball, same result, tried to tonk him over midwicket
18.3
0
McCarthy to Shaheen Shah Afridi, no run, Another feisty bumper around the line off, attempts a pull and is nowhere near the line
18.2
6
McCarthy to Shaheen Shah Afridi, SIX, Manufactures pace for himself and hoists him for six over long-off, gave him a charge and absolutely pummeled it. It was a slower back of a length ball outside off
18.1
0
McCarthy to Shaheen Shah Afridi, no run, Snorter of a bumper on a tricky off-stump line, plays all around it

END OF OVER:
18 | 13 Runs 1 Wkt | PAK: 151/6 | RR: 8.38

  • Shaheen Shah Afridi1 (1b)
  • Iftikhar Ahmed20 (10b)
  • Mark Adair3-0-21-1
  • Craig Young4-0-27-2
17.6
1
Adair to Shaheen Shah Afridi, 1 run, Round the wicket, an intimidating bumper, not that pacy though, Shaheen takes him on and launched it in the air towards deep square, I'd call that a drop, a rare one in the evening. Dockrell got his hands on it but then it popped out
17.5
W
Adair to Fakhar Zaman, OUT, He's holed out! Crucial breakthrough at an important juncture of the innings! What a sprawling catch from McCarthy at long-off, charged in like a cheetah and pocketed the catch while lunging forward, excellent effort in the deep, Ireland have been tremendous in the field right from ball one, lots of energy and held onto their chances. That was mistimed in the air and he lost his shape

Fakhar Zaman c McCarthy b Adair 20 (33m 18b 2x4 1x6) SR: 111.11

17.4
1
Adair to Iftikhar Ahmed, 1 run, Tantalizingly in the air, clouted it towards deep midwicket, two fielders running towards each other and it falls safely between them, Iftikhar only adds one more to the board even though there was an opportunity for another run
17.3
4
Adair to Iftikhar Ahmed, FOUR, Makes room and steers it down to deep third, it was a slow ball but he was equal to the task, played it with soft hands
17.2
6
Adair to Iftikhar Ahmed, SIX, Tonked for SIX! Touch full and width on offer, he gets down low and clobbers it up and over deep backward point for a maximum. Meaty blow. Not easy to manufacture a six from that position, he was down on one knee but still generated enough power to clear the ropes
17.1
1
Adair to Fakhar Zaman, 1 run, Pace-off length ball spearing it across off, leans out and forces it across the line towards long-on

END OF OVER:
17 | 8 Runs | PAK: 138/5 | RR: 8.11

  • Iftikhar Ahmed9 (7b)
  • Fakhar Zaman19 (16b)
  • Craig Young4-0-27-2
  • Barry McCarthy3-0-27-0
16.6
0
Young to Iftikhar Ahmed, no run, Short of a length, getting a hint of away movement off the pitch, glided down to backward point for a run and finishes a superb spell
16.5
1lb
Young to Fakhar Zaman, 1 leg bye, Round the wicket, hits the pitch hard and gets it to kick and scream off the surface, he prances down the track and gets hit on the shoulder, sneaks a bye
16.4
1
Young to Iftikhar Ahmed, 1 run, Over the wicket, drags his length back and it's floating away outside off, took the pace off and that flummoxed him, couldn't connect his ramp
16.3
1
Young to Fakhar Zaman, 1 run, Round the wicket again, bit short and zinging it back at southpaw who thrashes it in the air and it lands between the fielders who were converging from deep midwicket and deep square
16.2
4
Young to Fakhar Zaman, FOUR, Round the wicket, speared it full and straight, he gets behind the line and butchers it down the ground, almost hit the umpire on its way who did well in the end to get down. That was absolutely lashed! He was in a perfect position to play that shot
16.1
1
Young to Iftikhar Ahmed, 1 run, Back of a length just outside off, gets down low to it and eases it with the angled face to third man

Ireland 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st14A BalbirniePR Stirling
2nd13A BalbirnieLJ Tucker
3rd77A BalbirnieHT Tector
4th39A BalbirnieGH Dockrell
5th24A BalbirnieGJ Delany
6th16C CampherGJ Delany