Paul Stirling led Ireland cricket team stunned the entire cricket world by defeating Pakistan in the 1st T20I of the Pakistan tour of Ireland 2024 played yesterday.
The Pakistan cricket team were scheduled to play 3 match T20I series against Ireland during the Pakistan tour of Ireland 2024 between May 10 and 14. The series will lay a strong foundation for both teams for their preparation for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 set to be played in the West Indies and the USA.
Both Ireland and Pakistan were placed in Group A along with India, Canada and USA for the T20 World Cup 2024. With less than a month before the grand event, Pakistan’s defeat against Ireland grabs the attention of many cricket followers all around the world.
After registering a historic victory against Pakistan, Ireland captain Paul Stirling expressed his thoughts on winning the 1st T20I.
“We are absolutely delighted, we wanted to start the summer off well and it was almost a perfect day for us. When you come here, especially from Pakistan, the flattest pitches in the world, ask them to bat first and see what they can get.
170 was OK but we leaked a few, but we were happy to chase 180. Brilliant knock from Balbirnie, he got through the powerplay and picked up the pace later on as well. He timed it to perfection, it was a fantastic knock. We have had great games here especially against Pakistan and to get over the line today is brilliant”, he said.
Speaking of the match, Ireland won the toss and opted to bowl first which forced Pakistan to open the inning.
Saim Ayub and Rizwan opened the inning for Pakistan and failed to lay a strong foundation. Rizwan lost his wicket for just 1 run in a via run out while for the second wicket, Pakistan scored 85 runs.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam scored 57 runs and remained the team’s highest run getter of the match. Without much contribution from the middle and lower-order batters, Pakistan only managed to score 182 runs for 6 wickets at the end of 20 overs.
On the other hand, the hosts, too lost their wickets at regular intervals while chasing the 183-run target. But their opening batter Andrew Balbirnie made a steady inning at the one end and scored 77 runs off 55 deliveries and helped Ireland to chase down the target with a ball left to bowl.
With Balbirnie’s impressive knock, Ireland secured their first-ever T20I victory against Pakistan. Though Ireland won their first game of the series, they still need a win from the remaining two matches to lift the series trophy.
The second T20I of the series will be played on May 12 in Clontarf Cricket Club Ground, Dublin while the final T20I will be played on May 14 in the same venue.
Watch IRE vs PAK 1st T20I Highlights:
