On Sunday, Pakistan secured a dominant seven-wicket victory over Ireland in the second T20I at the Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin.
The Pakistani team efficiently chased down the target within 17 overs, propelled by outstanding performances from Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, and Azam Khan.
Although Pakistan faced an early setback with the dismissals of Saim Ayub (6) and captain Babar Azam (0), Rizwan and Fakhar forged a formidable partnership. Their 140-run collaboration marked Pakistan’s highest third-wicket partnership in T20Is, surpassing the previous record of 105 set by Rizwan and Haider Ali.
Rizwan concluded the innings unbeaten on 75 runs off 46 balls, including four boundaries and six sixes, while Fakhar contributed 78 runs off 40 deliveries, featuring six fours and six sixes. Azam Khan also made a significant contribution, striking 30 runs off just 10 balls, inclusive of a boundary and four maximums.
Earlier, Ireland set a challenging target of 193/7 after being put into bat by Pakistan, registering their highest-ever total at the Clontarf Cricket Club.
Opting to field first, Pakistan commenced strongly, with Shaheen Afridi claiming the initial two wickets by dismissing Paul Stirling (16) and Andy Balbirnie (11). However, a resilient partnership between Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker, worth 62 runs, steered Ireland’s innings. Tector was the standout performer for the home side, accumulating 51 runs off 34 balls, while Tucker contributed 32 runs off 28 deliveries.
Curtis Campher (22 off 13 balls) and Gareth Delany (28 off 10 balls) provided crucial cameos towards the end of the innings, enabling Ireland to achieve their highest-ever total at the Clontarf Cricket Club.
Shaheen Afridi led Pakistan’s bowling attack with three wickets, albeit conceding 49 runs, while Mohammad Amir, making his first appearance in the series, finished with figures of 1/44. Abbas Afridi claimed two wickets for 33 runs, and Naseem Shah secured a wicket conceding 36 runs.
The series finale is scheduled to take place at the same venue on April 14.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir
Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Andrew Bilbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Ben White, Craig Young
