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'Ye bache kya hi khelenge cricket' - Fans troll Pakistan as Ireland beat them by 5 wickets in 1st T20I

Ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Ireland is hosting Pakistan for a three-match T20 series. Ireland beat Pakistan by 5 wickets in the first game in Dublin.

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Harsh Adwani
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Ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Ireland is hosting Pakistan for a three-match T20 series. This series is an important one for both teams to get the right momentum ahead of the marquee tournament. Needless to say, both teams will give it their all to win the series. 

The first match of the series was played at the Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin. Winning the toss, Ireland decided to bowl first and made the most out of it. They restricted Pakistan to a score of 182 runs in the first innings. 

For the batting side, opener Saim Ayub and captain Babar Azam were the top scorers with 45 runs and 57 runs, respectively. However, Babar took 43 balls to score those runs and could only manage to score at a strike rate of 132. 

Towards the end of the innings, Ifthikar Ahmed's cameo of 37 runs in 15 balls helped them reach a decent total. For Ireland, Craig Young was the pick of the bowlers with two wickets in his spell of four overs, conceding only 27 runs. Apart from him, Mark Adair and Gareth Delany also picked a wicket each. 

Andrew Balbirnie stars in the chase for Ireland

In the chase, Andrew Balbirine was at the top of his game as he led Ireland to a victory from the front. He scored 77 runs in 55 balls, including 10 boundaries and two sixes. While a couple of early wickets fell around him, he was supported by Harry Tector and George Dockrell. 

Balbirine built important partnerships with both these batters as he added 77 runs with Tector and 39 runs with Dockrell. However, all three were back to the dugout by 18.4 overs as Pakistan bounced back in the game. 

With 16 runs needed in the last 8 balls, Gareth Delany and Curtis Campher joined hands to get their team home. Eventually, they were able to do so with five wickets to spare. The Irish team will cherish this win and will look to get a series win in the next game. 

Here is how Twitter reacted: 

 

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