Afridi Praises Babar Azam And Mohammad Rizwan As Pakistan Wins Ireland Series

Shaheen Afridi praised Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as world-class players after they led Pakistan to a T20I series victory over Ireland on Tuesday. Babar's team had lost the first match against Ireland last week but bounced back with two strong chases to secure a 2-1 series win.

Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker's 73 helped his side set a target of 179 in the decisive match, but Pakistan comfortably achieved a six-wicket victory with 18 balls remaining. Rizwan, who scored an unbeaten 75 in the second match, contributed a well-crafted 56, while Babar brought Pakistan close to victory with his 42-ball 75.

Azam Khan hit 18 off just six deliveries to seal the win for the visitors. Afridi, who took 3-14 in the first innings, was quick to credit the efforts of Babar and Rizwan. "For us, before the World Cup, it's important to have these games to ready ourselves and there are a few areas to improve," said Afridi. "They're both world-class players; they know how to play their role and they have done really well on this pitch."

Pakistan win the final T20I by six wickets @babarazam258 and @iMRizwanPak boss the chase with a stellar batting display #IREvPAK | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/Kcf6x09peF

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) May 14, 2024

Babar hit four of his five sixes off Ben White's bowling in the 14th over, sharing a 139-run partnership with Rizwan for the second wicket. "We had good communication in the middle because we have played a lot of cricket together; we were trying to play on our strengths and the aim was to match with the run rate," Babar said. "Lots of positives for us to take and we were able to execute our plans. We have a big tournament coming up and this is good practice; we are now looking forward to the England series."

Mark Adair was the only Ireland bowler to impress with his economical 3-28, though Tucker was still pleased with his team's efforts. "It was brilliant and a great privilege to captain," Tucker said at the post-match presentation. "It would have been nice to start with a win. We set up a platform nicely but unfortunately, we couldn't finish well. We gave everyone a go with the ball. Credit to the lads, they bowled well in tough conditions. Maybe it was a bit disappointing with the result but we had positives from the series."