Azam and Afridi help Pakistan end on a high
Babar Azam guided Pakistan through a nervy chase as they ended their T20 World Cup campaign with a three-wicket win over Ireland on Sunday in the last Group A match, a dead rubber after both teams were already eliminated.
Pakistan finished third in the five-team group with four points after losing to India and the United States, who progressed to the Super Eight stage. Ireland finished bottom with one point from the washout against Canada, ending their campaign without a win.
After Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl, Shaheen Afridi (3-22) dismissed Andrew Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker in the first over while skipper Paul Stirling and George Dockrell fell to Mohammad Amir (2-11), leaving Ireland reeling at 28-5 in the sixth over.
Gareth Delany (31 off 19 balls) helped stabilise Ireland’s innings but fell to Imad Wasim (3-8) before an unbeaten last-wicket partnership of 26 runs between Joshua Little (22 not out) and Benjamin White (5 not out) got them to 106-9.
After Pakistan openers Mohammed Rizwan and Saim Ayub (both 17) fell during the powerplay, Barry McCarthy (3-15) dismissed Usman Khan and Shadab Khan in the same over, leaving Pakistan looking shaky at 57-5.
But Azam (32 not out) anchored the innings and Pakistan chased down the target with seven balls to spare, as Lauderhill’s Central Broward Park stadium finally saw a match completed after three of its previous games were washed out. Reuters
Updated
And that’s it from the USA and from Group A. Tomorrow, Group D comes to a head when the Netherlands attempt to reach the Super Eights by thrashing Sri Lanka and hoping Nepal do them a favour by beating Bangladesh. That’s all from me tonight, you may be interested to learn that England kick off in another sport, against Serbia, in half an hour. Join Daniel Harris here:
Pakistan finish with two wins, but below USA and India who continue into the Super 8s. “We haven’t played the kind of cricket our country demands,” says SSA, “we have a few areas to improve on. The crowd always come in and support us, they’ve done so throughout the World Cup. It’s tough but thanks to the fans.”
Pakistan must now return home to an unhappy nation, Ireland also to lick their wounds.
The captains have been beckoned over by Harsha Bhogle:
Paul Stirling: “We played well in patches. They blew our top order away but I’m proud of the fight that we’ve shown. We’ll go back and regroup and get better in the months and years to come.”
Babar: “ We have some close games but we didn’t’ finish well. We have some good indivduals but we didn’t play well as a team.”
Updated
Another flawed but thrilling game, with Pakistan this time hauling themselves to victory thanks to a couple of strong-arm blows by player of the match Shaheen Shah Afridi. A super effort by Ireland, first by recovering from 32-6, then by keeeping Pakistan in check right until the penultimate over. Ireland, however, finish bottom, only taking one point from the tournament after three losses and that no result against Canada.
Pakistan beat Ireland by three wickets!
19.5 overs: Pakistan 111-7 (Babar 33, Afridi 13) Afridi seals the deal with his second six of Delany’s over, rescuing Pakistan from another self-inflicted slump. Holds his nerve with two huge blows, dropped in between by Stirling at slip who can’t hold onto a flying edge.
Updated
18th over: Pakistan 95-7 (Babar 30, Afridi 0) Stirling reviews an lbw to White’s first ball as Abbas sweeps and misses, but the impact was outside off stump. A spliced single, and another, before Abbas tries to knock the top off the bottle. Suddenly we’re down to a run a ball!
Pakistan need 12 off 12 balls.
WICKET! Abbas c sub (R Adair) b White (Pakistan 95-7)
Poor Babar slams his own pads in annoyance at the non-striker’s end as Abbas tries to go long but instead goes high and the sub takes the catch at long on.
17th over: Pakistan 93-6 (Babar 29, Abbas 16) A huge appeal from Delany for a caught behind against Babar, the umpires go upstairs but the review shows Babar hitting ball to ground before boot. Abbas has switched to a cap to face Delany. A further umpire’s review follows later in the over as they check a bump ball. Three lone singles in the bag and we move towards the denouement.
Pakistan need 14 off 18 balls.
16th over: Pakistan 90-6 (Babar 28, Abbas 14) Abbas pulls the first up but just out of reach of the keeper and they run one to give Babar the strike. A single returns the honours and then a sigh of relief for Pakistan fans as Abbas pounds six high, higher, flying just over the fielder on the rope for six.
Little meanwhile has limped off the pitch. Pakistan need 17 off 24 balls.
15th over: Pakistan 81-6 (Babar 27, Abbas 6) Little limps and lurches between balls, his cramp troubling him, but Babar still can’t lay bat on the first three balls. Breaks free with a dazzling drive for four from the fourth. A couple of singles keeps the rate below six. Pakistan need 26 off 30 balls.
14th over: Pakistan 75-6 (Babar 22, Abbas 5) Campher’s first two balls too good for Abbas, who prods and flashes to no avail. Finally an up and at em four, teed off without much foot movement. Pakistan can’t let the rate grow any larger. Pakistan need 32 off 36 balls.
13th over: Pakistan 70-6 (Babar 22, Abbas 1) Ireland yet to win a game in this World Cup. Adair, napkin tucked into his waistband. Belatedly, perhaps, a more guarded response from Pakistan. Five ticked off. Pakistan need 37 off 42 balls.
Updated
12th over: Pakistan 65-6 (Babar 17, Abbas 0) McCarthy finishes with three for 15, trememdous skills, giving Ireland more than a sniff of a chance.
If Pakistan lose this one…
Pakistan's World Cup performance in one picture #T20WorldCup #Cricket pic.twitter.com/3Fcmhsueeu
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) June 16, 2024
WICKET! Imad c Tector b Campher 4 (Pakistan 62-6)
Tector holds onto a screamer at backward point as Imad cuts with flair but straight to the fielder who holds on down on his knees.
11th over: Pakistan 62-6 (Babar 14) A beauty from Campher nearly draws Babar in first ball. A slog just short of where the fielder had been. Imad breaks the tension with four down the ground before falling to the last ball. Babar or bust, says the commentator.
Updated
10th over: Pakistan 57-5 (Babar 13, Imad 0)A roaring lbw appeal against Shadab first ball is turned down but he has no time to take advantage after tickling McCarthy through to the keeper (excellent catch) the very next delivery. Babar again left with the batting dregs to haul Pakistan out of the cauldron. DRINKS! At the half way stage, Ireland were similarly placed at 59-6.
Updated
WICKET! Shadab c Tucker b McCarthy o (Pakistan 57-5)
A wet waft at a leg stump half volley, through to the keeper.
WICKET! Usman c Tector b McCarthy 2 (Pakistan 57-4)
Usman prods and loops a length ball to point.
9th over: Pakistan 57-3 (Babar 13, Usman Khan 2)After Fakhar’s downfall, a risky pull from Babar goes up but not long, though just short of the midwicket fielder. Pakistan not making light work of this chase.
WICKET! Fakhar c sub b Campher 5 (Pakistan 52-3)
Little pauses at the stop of his mark, then rolls over onto his back with cramp in the heat – after a bit of push me pull you he is escorted off the field. Walking ok but needing some treatment or infusion. Instead, Campher will bowl – Fakhar throws the bat immediately and the ball lands safely in the hands of the sub fielder at mid-off. Sub-optimal.
Updated
8th over: Pakistan 52-2 (Babar 10, Fakhar 5) McCarthy starts with a couple of dots, the third is a bouncer that does Fakhar for pace. Just three from the over as in the crowd, spectators continue to fan themselves from the heat.
Updated
7th over: Pakistan 49-2 (Babar 9, Fakhar 3) Some spin for Pakistan to deal with as Ben White is thrown the ball. Babar pulls four, front leg extended balletically. A nice fistful of singles.
6th over: Pakistan 40-2 (Babar 2, Fakhar 1) McCarthy is summoned for the final over of the power play. Rizwan pulls him, one hand flying off the bat handle, ignite the touch paper, for four. Emboldened, he goes again, but this time sends it only to Adair and his adroitly timed leap.
WICKET! Rizwan c b McCarthy 17 (Pakistan 39-2)
Superbly caught by Adair on the rope who leaps, and turns a neat circle with careful feet to avoid voiding the wicking.
Updated
5th over: Pakistan 31-1 (Rizwan 11, Babar 1) Huge cheers for Babar’s arrival at the crease, and he immediately picks up a single down to long leg. Four overthrows which Rizwan accepts gratefully.
WICKET! Saim c Tucker b Adair 17 (Pakistan 23-1)
Tucker runs back and sideways, gloves blind, to take a top-edge with a grin.
Updated
4th over: Pakistan 23-0 (Rizwan 5, Saim 17) Little continues, Saim whip-swivels him one leg to the rope, four more follows as another wristy shot zips across the grass. Little is given a second and final warning for running down the wicket – a familiar problem, the commentators say.
3rd over: Pakistan 13-0 (Rizwan 5, Saim 8) Saim struggling to get a hand on Adair but puts his foot down the pitch to the last and fires six up and away.
2nd over: Pakistan 6-0 (Rizwan 4, Saim 2) Little on the money straight away. Saim can’t get him away but whips at one that lands near the rope and sticks like a cherry dropped in some whipped cream.
Pakistan need 107 to win
1st over: Pakistan 4-0 (Rizwan 4, Saim 0) Rizwan presents his bat in a forward defensive and is a hairs-width from a nibble behind to Adair’s first ball. The next is slammed down the ground for four. Retorts with a couple of zingers.
An Ireland huddle on the field as Saim Ayub and Rizwan stride out.
Updated
Shaheen Shah Afridi: “As usual I’m trying to strike early on, I followed my plan. We did a good job as bowling unit.”
Pakistan need 5.35 an over to win – I’ll be back as soon as the kettle has boiled to take you through their chase.
Pakistan need 107 to win!
20th over: Ireland 106-9 (Little 22, White 5) Imad Wasim with the last over. Little reverse-sweeps the first for a couple, tries to repeat the shot next ball but misses. Misses the sweep next ball too, and can’t get anything on the fourth or fifth. The sixth is patted for one. Three from an excellent last over and Ireland have a total on the board. Should be easily within Pakistan’s grasp but they have tested their own resolve this tournament.
Updated
19th over: Ireland 103-9 (Little 19, White 5) Little steals the strike after a direct hit flies wide. Looks for a no ball off a slower ball but the umpire says no – perhaps lucky to get away with that. The next slower ball is slammed straight for six.
18th over: Ireland 95-9 (Little 12, White 4) A bold move to attack the returning Afridi but it pays off as Little pastes him through midwicket for four. With two overs left, Ireland creeping towards three figures.
17th over: Ireland 89-9 (Little 7, White 3) After a couple of dots, Amir nearly slips in his action. The third ball raps off White’s forearm and into Rizwan’s gloves. Rizwan fancies a review but the umpires remind him that Pakistan have already burnt them all. Amir continues to sizzle – and that’s a maiden.
16th over: Ireland 89-9 (Little 7, White 3) White fairly clueless against Imad, who is finding turn from this tricksy pitch.
15th over: Ireland 86-9 (Little 6, White 1) A couple of singles picked off the accurate Rauf until Little skews four from the last.
WICKET! McCarthy b Imad 12 (Ireland 80-9)
14th over: Ireland 81-9 (Little 1) McCarthy strides legside, goes for the grand heave-ho and must hear the sound of timber.
WICKET! Adair c Afridi b Imad 15 (Ireland 79-8)
Adair perishes going for the big shot but both Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan are waiting on the rope and neither seems to see or hear each other. Afridi takes the catch, his arms the longer, but both fall to the ground, Afridi seemingly on top of Usman who hasn’t put his hands back to protect himself as he falls.
Updated
13th over: Ireland 79-7 ( Adair 15, McCarthy 2) Haris Rauf returns, hands together, scampering approach. Just three off the over, beats the attacking McCarthy.
12th over: Ireland 76-7( Adair 14, McCarthy 0) Imad makes the breakthrough just as Delany was threatening to go downtown . The partnership worth 44.
WICKET! Delaney c Shadab b Imad 31 (Ireland 76-7)
Imad Wasim’s first wicket of the World Cup! A starshaped celebration after a ball that turns more than Delaney was expecting flies off the edge into the hands of the prowling point
11th over: Ireland 75-6 ( Delany 31, Adair 13) Ireland continuing their flame-away policy and at the moment it is paying dividends – Adair throws the bat at Abbas and the ball flies over the keeper for four. Delaney rags the fifth up and off the back foot and far enough to soar over the rope. Sixteen from the over and a familiar angst starts to grip Pakistan.
10th over: Ireland 59-6 ( Delany 22, Adair 8) Some legspin from Shadab Khan. Delaney fires the first ball back over his head for six with a flowing arc of the bat. With Ireland in smash or splat mode, Shadab could be in for some treatment. Delaney pulls the last with gusto - Haris Rauf on the rope leaps but can’t hold on. Time for DRINKS.
Updated
9th over: Ireland 48-6 ( Delany 15, Adair 4) Delany hammers a ball straight back and into Rauf’s wrist. He gets some physio attention but seems to be in one piece. Next ball, Delaney helicopters six into the crowd, where a woman in the crowd fans herself in the heat.
8th over: Ireland 41-6 ( Delany 8, Adair 4) Abbas Afridi makes his World Cup bow with Pakistan sitting pretty. Delaney could have been run out from a direct hit by not grounding his bat. Ireland collect eight runs from a bit of heave and ho.
7th over: Ireland 33-6 ( Delany 4, Adair 1) Haris Rauf replaces Afridi, and immediately causes trouble of his own. The second ball flies high into Rizwan’s hands. The third sends Campher back to the dressing room. Ireland seem in a great hurry to go nowhere at all.
WICKET! Campher c Saim b Rauf 7 (Ireland 32-6)
Campher throws mop, bucket and kitchen sink at a ball outside off stump from Rauf but only succeeds in skying it. Saim calmly collects at midwicket with sunglasses on.
6th over: Ireland 32-5 ( Campher 7, Delany 4) At the end of the power play, Ireland are in a sticky situation. Delany flames Amir for four to haul Ireland into the thirties.
WICKET! Dockrell c and b Amir 11 (Ireland 28-5)
Done by a slow legcutter. Dockrell drops his head in regret as the ball dollies up in air and falls gently into Amir’s hands.
Updated
5th over: Ireland 28-4 ( Campher 7, Dockrell 11) Can Ireland survive SSA’s third over? They can, with panache! After 22 dot balls in the innings, Dockrell makes contact and sends the ball flying over extra cover for four. And again, next ball! This time with more control. Threatens to be three in a row but Abbas Afridi makes up for not stopping things at mid-on by chasing it all the way back to the rope.
4th over: Ireland 17-4 ( Campher 7, Dockrell 0) The novelty of a wicketless over.
3rd over: Ireland 15-4 ( Campher 5) Afridi with a wide – a little light relief for Ireland - has Campbell grasping at the second. Babar is then persuaded to burn his second and final review by SSA –the power of the charismatic fast bowler - but it was pitching outside leg. The next ball interests SSA but not the slips – but turns out to have been an edge. Finally he gets his reward as Tector is pinned to the spot – though TV review later show it pitched outside leg!
WICKET! Tector lbw Afridi 0 (Ireland 15-4)
After a succession of near-misses one way or another, Afridi pleads for the finger to go up. And it does, another snaking delivery, high skill at top speed. Hits the boot. Tector briefly considers reviewing, but decides no.
Updated
2nd over: Ireland 8-3 ( Tector 0, Campher 4) Light relief in the form of Mohammad Amir. A less intimidating figure, but still a threat, as Stirling goes on an ill-fated attack. Campher does well to survive his first ball, picking up a four with an inside edge that he had no control over. Goes to attack the last ball too – bold – but misses.
WICKET! Stirling c Rizwan b Amir 1 (Ireland 4-3)
Stirling attempts a polka in gumboots and succeeds only in giving Rizwan another catch.
Updated
1st over: Ireland 2-2 (Stirling 0, Tector 0). Afridi fancies a third in the over, an lbw shout against Tector. Babar reviews, but ball tracking shows it was missing. Prime Afridi proving more than a handful for Pakistan.
WICKET! Tucker c Rizwan b Afridi 0 (Ireland 2-2)
Tucker done up like a kipper, plays for the inswinger, gets one across him and nudges one behind for Rizwan.
Updated
WICKET! Balbirnie b Shaheen Shah Afridi 0 (Ireland 0-1)
Balbirnie fancies driving this one but instead loses his stumps to a snorting inswinger straight from the SSA scrapbook.
Updated
How will the pitch behave after so much rain? We will find out shortly. Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie prepare to face Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Ireland belt out theirs, arms round each others shoulders. Pakistan’s military-style ditty is a palm on hearts affair. Babar, face plastered in suncream, looks pensive.
They flash up the Group A points table – a sorry tale, Pakistan have two points and Ireland one. There isn’t a huge turn out at Lauderhill as far as I can see – despite this being the only game in Florida that hasn’t been washed out. Or maybe because of. Here come the anthems.
Ireland XI
Ireland: Andy Balbirnie, Paul Stirling (capt), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little, Ben White.
Leggie Ben White replaces Craig Young.
Pakistan XI
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan , Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir.
No Naseem Shah today, 23 year old medium-fast bowler Abbas Afridi replaces him.
Pakistan win the toss and bowl!
The weather is behaving, the outfield has drained and we shall have play. Babar chooses to bowl – will his on-paper-formidable lineup turn up today?
Ali on England’s tense night of the soul.
How about a pinch of James Joyce to cheer things up:
It's 'Bloomsday'! A day to celebrate the works of James Joyce.
— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) June 16, 2024
Ireland International, Barry McCarthy, chatted with journalist @Siggo about Joyce's love of our sport and how he wrote about it in his literature....
Have a look: https://t.co/lC0ib3ZaAS #HappyBloomsday pic.twitter.com/nyU643MCbp
Weather watch
After India v Canada was washed out yesterday at Lauderhill, and USA v Ireland on Friday, much depends on the lasting dampness of the outfield as well as overhead conditions. Current reports suggest it is grey and soggy. Much like the mood of both camps.
Preamble
Hello! After the scramble of last night/early morning, with England scraping into the Super Eights via a rainy win over Namibia and a fingernail win by Australia over Scotland, to the damp of Florida. Here two countries already kicked out of the World Cup must gird their sinews for one final battle before going home.
For Ireland and Pakistan, there is only pride at stake, with both countries enduring a campaign to forget. Perhaps from the dust, one last bit of entertainment for the fans who have turned up regardless, draped in the flags and the facepaint and the enthusiasm.
Play starts at 3.30pm BST.
