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Pakistan faced off against Ireland in the 36th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida. Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, won the toss and chose to bowl first, marking the final game of the tournament for both teams.
Pakistan’s bowlers dominate Irish batting
The decision to bowl first proved fruitful for Pakistan as their bowlers dominated the Irish batting lineup. Gareth Delany was the top scorer for Ireland with 31 runs off 19 balls, but the team could only muster 106/9 in their 20 overs.
Shaheen Afridi, Imad Wasim, and Mohammad Amir were instrumental in Pakistan’s outstanding bowling performance. Afridi, in particular, was impressive, taking three wickets for just 22 runs in his four overs. His dismissal of former Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie was the highlight of the match.
Shaheen Afridi’s stunning delivery
Afridi’s exceptional delivery to Balbirnie came on the third ball of the opening over. He bowled a length delivery that pitched up, enticing Balbirnie to drive. However, Balbirnie left a gap between his pad and bat, allowing the ball to pass through and crash into the stumps.
Here is the video:
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Afridi reveals his gameplan
Afridi explained his strategy for taking early wickets, emphasizing his focus on bowling fuller deliveries with inswing to create pressure on the opposition. He mentioned that he aimed to capitalize on the new ball’s tricky nature to induce mistakes from the batsmen. By striking in the initial overs, Afridi believed it would place the opposing team under significant pressure, increasing the chances of a successful bowling performance.
“I am always trying to strike early on. I was trying to bowl fuller and the inswinger. We thought the appeals were close. If you pick wickets in the first few overs, opposition is under pressure. The new ball might be tricky,” said Afridi in the mid-innings break.
Notably, it was Ireland’s fourth lowest total in the history of the T20 World Cups.
Lowest totals for Ireland in T20 World Cups:
- 68 vs West Indies, Providence, 2010
- 96 vs India, New York, 2024
- 101 vs Sri Lanka, Abu Dhabi, 2021
- 106/9 vs Pakistan, Lauderhill, 2024*
