In an incredible display of power cricket on Sunday, Pakistan crushed Ireland by an authoritative seven wickets. This was after Pakistan was met with a disappointing defeat on Friday, a matter that was considered rather chastening back in their homeland.
Ireland had initially shown promise with their batsman Lorcan Tucker contributing half a century to put up a sizeable total of 193. However, their reputable fielding prowess slipped away during the match as they missed crucial catches, allowing Fakhar Zaman (78) and Mohammad Rizwan (75 not out) to steer their opponents to a hasty victory within just 17 overs.
Lorcan Tucker was certainly the star performer for Ireland, but the efforts to accumulate runs were spread across the team once Pakistan, having won the toss, decided to field first. Andrew Balbirnie and Paul Stirling managed to find the boundary early on but were unable to sustain for long. In a detrimental blow to Ireland, Shaheen Afridi was successful in eliminating two Irish openers in a single over.
Soon after, Pakistan believed they had nabbed a third wicket when Harry Tector was declared out LBW to a low delivery. However, after a closer inspection by the third umpire, it was revealed that Naseem had overstepped, resulting in the declaration of a no-ball.
Seizing this reprieve, Tector drove meticulously in the following over, scoring successive boundaries. However, his notable innings reached its climax at this point, and he found himself persistently hindered, often hitting the ball towards fielders when there were chances for scoring boundaries. Eventually, his struggle ended when he mishandled his bat while attempting to hit Abbas Afridi’s delivery, leading to his catch being taken by Shaheen at long on.
Tucker exhibited superior fluency with his batting, only after an intense appeal from Pakistan for catching behind was denied. To keep Imad Wasim from totally dominating the mid-overs, a leg-side sweep was necessary. During the 15th over, Tucker and Campher scored 21 runs off Shaheen, propelling Ireland forward with necessary momentum.
This signalled the commencement of Ireland’s speedup following a calm mid-session, in line with the regular plan to establish a flurry of boundaries towards the end. George Dockrell hit the boundary three times, scoring a crucial 15 runs off eight balls, while Tucker reached his half-century off his 38th delivery.
Tucker and Dockrell were dismissed off consecutive balls, both falling to slower deliveries. However, Gareth Delany took over, smashing 17 runs off Mohammad Amir’s final over with a sequence of strong straight drives. That being said, it is fair to say that Pakistan was rightfully upset not to have taken a break for rain before this onslaught.
With 194 to defend, Ireland appeared menacing with the new ball once more. Mark Adair dismissed Saim Ayub in the opening over, thanks to a diving catch from Campher following a short ball that lodged in the pitch. An over later, Graham Hume, substituting for injured Barry McCarthy who suffered a back spasm, forced behind an edge from Babar Azam with a short, wide delivery.
Hume’s luck ran out after that. Rizwan and Fakhar began to rebuild Pakistan’s innings, and both batsmen were given opportunities in the outfield. Firstly, a mishap involving Rizwan with Campher’s bowling could be blamed on the damp outfield as Hume lost his footing and dropped the ball. Moments later, when Fakhar sent a Young short ball soaring into the sky, Hume again failed to hold onto the catch. The second was trickier than the first, but both should have been secured.
Rizwan notched his half-century with a hefty six off Ben White, and Fakhar imitated this feat in the subsequent over. Unleashing a particularly vicious assault on Young after having given Campher similar treatment, Fakhar exploited the opportunity afforded by the left-handers’ favour to flick and pull around the wicket. Moreover, they revelled in sending the ball over the short boundary and in the direction of the clubhouse. The 13th over witnessed a staggering 21 runs, after which Pakistan surged ahead without any pause.
In contrast, Ireland’s bowlers were left in shambles under the masterful onslaught of Fakhar and Rizwan. Gareth Delany offered one final ray of hope as he pulled off a superb catch, diving forward to send a triumphant Fakhar walking off the pitch. However, this merely paved the way for Azam Khan’s entry, whose batting was nothing short of explosive. His carnage included what’s perhaps the most massive six ever witnessed at Clontarf, wrapping up the match with a mighty swing that soared over the sight screen.
Existentially, the lost balls in the locale’s surrounding foliage left a significant dent in Ireland’s fiscal resources. Coupled with their decimated confidence, it suggests potential struggles in the forthcoming Tuesday’s decider match.