Pakistan Clinches Victory Against Ireland In T20 World Cup 2024 Finale

Pakistan concluded their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a three-wicket victory over Ireland in Florida on Sunday, June 16. Opting to bowl first, Pakistan restricted Ireland to 106/9 in 20 overs.

Ireland struggled early, losing six wickets for 32 runs in 6.3 overs. A 44-run partnership between Gareth Delany (31) and Mark Adair (15) provided some stability. However, Pakistan had Ireland at 80/9 in 14 overs before the last pair, Benjamin Whites and Joshua Little, played out the remaining six overs.

Shaheen Afridi was instrumental with the ball, taking two wickets in the first over and finishing with figures of 3/22. Mohammad Amir also picked up two wickets, while Imad Wasim claimed three wickets for eight runs in four overs.

In response, Pakistan's openers Saim Ayub (17) and Mohammad Rizwan (17) put on a 23-run partnership for the first wicket. However, Pakistan faltered as Rizwan, Ayub, and Fakhar Zaman (5) were dismissed quickly. From 52/3 in 8.1 overs, Pakistan found themselves at 62/6.

Babar Azam (32*) anchored the innings and formed a crucial 33-run partnership off 40 balls with Abbas Afridi (17 off 21). Shaheen Afridi (13*) then hit two sixes in the 19th over to secure the win with three wickets and seven balls remaining.

Despite this victory, Pakistan failed to qualify for the Super 8 stage, finishing third in Group A with four points from four matches. Ireland did not win any of their Group A matches. India and USA advanced to the Super 8 from Group A.

Shaheen Afridi was named Man of the Match for his performance, taking three wickets for 22 runs in four overs and scoring an unbeaten 13 runs off five balls, including two sixes.

Shaheen Afridi (Man of the Match): "The wicket supported the new ball; we aimed to hit our good areas and strike early. Our plans succeeded. My idea is to bowl fuller; we were trying to hit our areas. We didn't play good cricket which our country demands."

"There are areas we need to improve quickly; Champions Trophy is coming. We have to improve and grow as a team. The crowd always supports us; thank you everyone for that support. It's tough times but they always come and support us; that's what we need as a team. That's my job; I come late in the innings and just hit. The team needed it. Always trying to hit sixes."

Paul Stirling (Ireland captain): "Think so, played well in patches; start of the day didn't go terribly well; they put pressure on us early on. Proud of the fight we've shown; from 30 for 5 to get that score wasn't too far away. It's about getting that balance right. In T20s, we probably haven't got that this time around. It's been a difficult couple of weeks; we'll go back, regroup, and see if we can come back stronger."

Babar Azam (Pakistan captain): "Yes, we finished well; we took early wickets with the ball. With the bat, we didn't finish well. Lost back-to-back wickets but got over the line in the end. I think with the bowling, conditions suited our bowlers; in batting, there were a few mistakes in USA and India matches; when you lose wickets, pressure is on you."

"Let's see what the team needs; I'll be okay with it. We have a good bunch of players; we've to go home, chat and see where we lacked, and then come back. Couldn't finish off close games; as a team, we weren't good."

Pakistan vs Ireland Key Stats

• Shaheen Afridi picked a wicket in the first over of a T20 World Cup match for the seventh time.
• Babar Azam broke MS Dhoni's record for most runs in T20 World Cups as captain with 549 runs from 17 innings.
• Shaheen Afridi has joint second-highest Man of the Match awards for Pakistan in T20 World Cups alongside Umar Gul. Shahid Afridi holds the record with four Player of the Match awards.