Pakistan outshines Ireland to seal T20I series

Pakistan (Commonwealth) _In Tuesday’s third and final Twenty20 International at Castle Avenue, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam and his temporary replacement Shaheen Shah Afridi combined to defeat Ireland by six wickets and win the series 2-1.

While Babar showed uncommon aggressiveness to deny Ireland even a sniff of the series, Shaheen, who had struggled in the first two encounters, delivered a brilliant bowling exhibition to restrict the hosts to 178-7.

Pakistan managed to chase down the goal thanks to his 75 off 42, which included five sixes and six fours, and Mohammad Rizwan’s second straight half-century, the batsman getting 56 off 38 with the aid of four fours and three sixes. With three overs remaining, Pakistan managed to chase down the target.

The victory gave Pakistan extra momentum before their forthcoming four-match Twenty20 International series against England, which begins on May 22. Extra significantly, though, is the fact that this series comes before the T20 World Cup, which will take place in the United States and the West Indies next month.

Despite losing Saim Ayub early on, Pakistan managed to compile a 60-1 powerplay thanks to a little Rizwan. Rizwan displayed his skill against Graham Hume through the leg side, hitting two fours and a six, as first-drop Babar watched from the other end. In the following over, he again shown his brilliance against Craig Young, hitting the pacer for two maximums and a four.

Babar also got off to a good start, hitting two fours off Young, and was given another chance when George Dockrell missed a deep ball. By the time Pakistan reached the halfway point with a 92-1 total, Rizwan had already reached his second straight fifty.

But the Pakistani captain’s intentions were evident. He followed up his maiden six in the following over with two more boundaries, tonking Curtis Campher’s spin straight down the ground. When Babar smacked spinner Ben White for four sixes in the 14th over, three in a row, he demonstrated his seriousness by reaching his fifty in 31 balls.

After blazing white down the ground for the opening over, the right-hander hammered the ball three times over the leg-side boundary. But in the following over, Babar outwitted Young to Campher in the deep, and Mark Adair’s superb yorker cost Rizwan his wicket.

After making 18 runs off of six balls with two sixes and a four, Azam Khan, who was sent in, completed the task with great ease and put Pakistan ahead. Earlier, Ireland was unable to turn a quick start into a score that would worry Pakistan because of an outstanding bowling display by the pace leader of the visitors, Shaheen.

The visiting team rallied after Ireland’s early attack, led by the left-armer, who finished with figures of 3-14 in his four overs. Ireland quickly reached 50 runs in the powerplay even though Shaheen uprooted Ross Adair’s stumps in the third over, during which the pacer gave up only one run.

Shaheen’s attempt was ruined in the first six overs by Hasan Ali’s bowling, who gave up two fours and a six in the fourth over. But in the first over, the pace spearhead for Pakistan had already conceded two boundaries and Amir had taken a few of hard knocks.

The pyrotechnics continued as Lorcan Tucker and Andy Balbirnie tormented the Pakistani bowlers, with Balbirnie hitting Hasan for a six over the head of the ‘keeper’ in the seventh over. Tucker was equally lethal, reaching his fifty in only 29 balls after hitting three boundaries off the off-spin of part-time spinner Saim, helping Ireland to a 95.1 lead at the halfway point.

The breakthrough came under bowler Abbas Afridi’s name, as Rizwan’s breathtaking catch at deep point terminated Barbirnie’s (35 off 26) stay. In the thirteenth over, Tucker struck three consecutive boundaries with great force and composure, going after Hasan once again. But even though the Ireland skipper made 73 off 41, Imad Wasim’s spin undid him.

With no boundaries in the 14th or 15th overs, the wicket placed Ireland on the back foot and led to Shaheen’s dismissal of Neil Rock. Ireland’s difficulties persisted as Amir came back to get George Dockrell’s wicket, letting up just five runs in the seventeenth over.

Tector hit two fours in the 18th over to punish Abbas (2-43), but Shaheen came back to limit Ireland to only three runs in the penultimate over, which also saw Mark Adair leave.