Pakistan Won 195-3 (Fakhar 78, Rizwan 75*) Ireland 193 for 7 (Tucker 51, Shaheen 3-49) 7 wickets, 19 balls remaining
Zaman joined Rizwan after the opener was cheap. Saim Ayub’s dry run continued as he caught Curtis Campher’s diving third ball, but in the next over, Babar hit an innocuous medium-paced ball from Graham Hume to take Pakistan 13-2 to 194 runs. I caught up with it.
But Rizwan, who was recently dropped in Ayub’s favor, proved his worth in the powerplay, combining dazzling slog sweeps with judicious placement. He was responsible for most of the run scoring until Zaman went to bed. Other than Zaman sending Craig Young to square leg in the fifth over and dropping two costly drops, there were no problems for Pakistan.
Although the game stalled temporarily after the 7th over, Pakistan’s position became stronger due to Ireland’s lack of breakthrough ability. It was in the 13th over that the game irrevocably moved out of Ireland’s hands as Pakistan got 21 runs from Young and the required rate plummeted from 10 to 8.4. Even after Zaman holed out, there was time for Azam to make a dizzying cameo with 30 off 10 balls.
The bigger concern after Pakistan failed to defend 183 in the first T20I was that the bowling performance would be inconsistent again. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Amir were expensive and Pakistan were unable to contain Ireland in the powerplay. Lorcan Tucker’s 34-ball 51 kept the first half of Ireland’s innings together, while Campher once again punished Shaheen in the middle overs. The hosts’ top seven teams all finished in double digits, with all but two achieving a strike rate of 150 or above, resulting in an opening that Pakistan’s bowlers will likely find too good to forgive on this surface. Got a score.
Shaheen and Amir are hit in the head and tail
While Shaheen Afridi is famous for being deadly with the new ball, Amir is praised for his variations at the death. The left-arm pace duo not only bowled the opener but also closed out the match and were punished at each stage. Shaheen was among the wickets, but he could not escape the onslaught as Andy Balbani and Paul Sterling continued to attack in the powerplay. Shaheen redeemed himself by dismissing both players in the second over, but he did not fully learn the lesson from his bowling in the first game to Kampfer.
In the 15th over, Shaheen continued to get his leg up while bowling to the body of Campher, but was dismissed for a four and a six. The belated decision to push the fielders back allowed Campher to anticipate a fuller bat, and he drove another six brilliantly in front of the covers, hitting the boundary for a 21-run over.
Gareth Delaney punished Afridi and Amir as Ireland scored 29 runs in the last two overs to cross 190. The two finished with a total record of 8 wins, 0 losses, 93 losses, and 4 draws.
Pakistan spinners set Ireland back
After Ireland posted 68 for 2 in seven overs, Pakistan went into spin as the field widened. That’s where Imad Wasim is great at slowing down opponents. Harry Tector struggled to find a rhythm and Lorcan Tucker poked him. They showed little ambition against part-timer Ayub as Ireland scored 16 in three overs and Pakistan regained some control.
fume double drop
Hume’s day started well. He removed Babar in the second over of the Irish defense, but made two costly mistakes just as Rizwan and Zaman started to move. He dropped Rizwan at deep midwicket off the last delivery of the powerplay, then top-edged Zaman at fine leg five balls later. Ireland missed a chance to clinch a historic series victory and on Tuesday, century stands from Rizwan and Zaman took the series to a decider.
Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo’s Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
