Paul Stirling, the captain of the Ireland cricket team, was thrilled with their win against Pakistan in the first T20I of the ongoing three-game series.
In the first match of the three-game T20I series between Ireland and Pakistan at Castle Avenue in Dublin on Friday, May 10, the action kicked off with Pakistan batting first after losing the toss. Their start wasn’t ideal, with opener Mohammad Rizwan getting dismissed early after just one run.
However, Pakistan managed to recover, thanks to solid performances from Saim Ayub and skipper Babar Azam, who scored 45 and 57 runs respectively. Fakhar Zaman also chipped in with 20 runs. But just when Pakistan seemed to be gaining momentum, Ireland struck back, dismissing Azam and Shadab Khan for ducks.
Despite the setbacks, Iftikhar Ahmed’s resilient knock of 37* runs and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s contribution of 14* runs helped Pakistan reach a total of 182 runs in their innings. Craig Young was the standout bowler for Ireland, taking two wickets, supported by Mark Adair and Gareth Delany, who took one wicket each.
In response, Ireland faced early trouble with skipper Paul Stirling and Lorcan Tucker departing cheaply. However, it was veteran Andy Balbirnie’s impressive innings of 77 runs off 55 deliveries that turned the tide in Ireland’s favor. Harry Tector also played a crucial role, scoring 36 runs.
Ultimately, Ireland successfully chased down the target, winning the game by five wickets and gaining an advantage in the series. Speaking after the match, Paul Stirling expressed delight with the victory, highlighting the team’s satisfaction in limiting Pakistan to around 180 runs on what he described as the “flattest pitch in the world.”
“We are absolutely delighted, perfect start to the summer and a brilliant day this for us. When you come here, against Pakistan, flattest pitch in the world and we were pretty happy with 180, at one stage we thought we could restrict them 170 but we were delighted to chase 180 on that track,” Stirling said.
Paul Stirling commended Andrew Balbirnie for his exceptional performance during the run chase, noting how Balbirnie really stepped up the momentum following the powerplay.
“Brilliant knock from Balbirnie, he got through the powerplay and picked up the pace later on as well. We have had great games here, especially against them, to get over the line is brilliant,” Stirling added.
Pakistan and Ireland are gearing up for their second T20I clash, set to take place on Sunday, May 12, at the familiar venue. Pakistan is determined to even the score by clinching a victory, while Ireland has its sights set on securing the series win ahead of schedule.
