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29 March 2024

Sarfraz hits ton as Pakistan knock out Ireland to secure last eight spot

Published
By Cricket Correspondent and Agencies

Sarfraz Ahmed scored Pakistan's first World Cup century since 2007 to lead his team into the quarter-finals with a seven-wicket romp past Ireland at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

Left-armer Wahab Riaz took three wickets and fellow-seamers Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali snared two apiece as Ireland, electing to bat, were shot out for 237 despite skipper William Porterfield's 107.

The modest target was overhauled in 46.1 overs as Sarfraz returned unbeaten on 101 to emulate Imran Nazir's 160 against Zimbabwe in Jamaica in 2007, the last hundred hit by a Pakistani batsman in a World Cup.

The match ended in a farce as Umar Akmal played out five dot balls when five more runs were needed so that Sarfraz, then on 97, could reach his century.

Sarfraz duly obliged in Paul Stirling's next over hitting a boundary and then himself defended four balls to allow Akmal to hit the winning runs in the subsequent over.

Pakistan finished third in Pool B behind defending champions India and South Africa, while the West Indies took the fourth place following a six-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates in Napier earlier on Sunday.

Pakistan take on four-time champions and Australia in the quarter-final in Adelaide on March 20, while the West Indies travel to Wellington to play co-hosts New Zealand on March 21.

Ireland, the last surviving non-Test nation in the fray, paid dearly for a miserable batting display in which Porterfield played a lone hand with 11 boundaries and a six.

The first four wickets fell for 134 runs by the 30th over as none of the top order crossed 20 on a slow pitch.

Wicket-keeper Gary Wilson's 29 was the next highest score before the Irish were bowled out off the last ball of the innings.

Porterfield batted till the 39th over when he mistimed an on-drive off Sohail Khan and Shahid Afridi took a low diving catch running in from the edge of the circle.

Porterfield was the fifth Irish batsman to score a World Cup century after Jeremy Bray's 115 against Zimbabwe in 2007, Kevin O'Brien's 113 against England and Paul Stirling's 101 versus the Netherlands, both in 2011, and Joyce's 112 against Zimbabwe in this edition.

Pakistan had not won a match batting second in this tournament, but a run-rate of under five an over was easily achieved after a 120-run partnership for the first wicket between Sarfraz and Ahmed Shehzad (63).

The Irish bowlers were struggling to contain the runs when they secured two unexpected breaks with the wickets of Shehzad and Haris Sohail in the space of six runs.

Shehzad top-edged a pull off Stuart Thompson and was caught at mid-on by Joyce, while Haris was run out after Sarfraz refused a sharp single and turned his back on the non-striker.

Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, who hit four half-centuries in the previous five matches, made 39 in a third-wicket stand of 82 with Sarfraz.

Pakistan made two changes from the side that upset South Africa, bringing in right-arm seamer Adil and Haris in place of the injured Irfan and senior pro Younis Khan.

The seven-foot tall Irfan was ruled out with a hip injury, but a bigger surprise was Pakistan's decision to omit the experienced Younis for this key game.

Ireland retained the same side that lost by eight wickets to defending champions India.

Scoreboard:

Ireland


W. Porterfield c Afridi b Sohail 107
P. Stirling lbw b Adil  3
E. Joyce c Akmal b Wahab  11
N. O'Brien c Akmal b Rahat  12
A. Balbirnie c Afridi b Haris  18
G. Wilson c Wahab b Sohail  29
K. O'Brien c Maqsood b Wahab  8
S. Thompson c Akmal b Rahat  12
J. Mooney c Akmal b Wahab  13
G. Dockrell run out (Wahab)  11
A. Cusack not out  1
Extras: (lb2, w10)  12
Total (all out, 50 overs)  237
Fall of wickets:
1-11 (Stirling), 2-56 (Joyce), 3-86 (N. O'Brien), 4-134 (Balbirnie), 5-182 (Porterfield), 6-189 (Wilson), 7-204 (Thompson), 8-216 (K. O'Brien), 9-230 (Mooney), 10-237 (Dockrell)
Bowling: Sohail 10-0-44-2 (2w); Adil 7-0-31-1 (2w); Rahat 10-0-48-2 (2w); Wahab 10-0-54-3 (3w); Afridi 10-0-38-0; Haris 3-0-20-1 (1w);

Pakistan

Ahmed Shehzad c Joyce b Thompson 63
Sarfraz Ahmed not out  101
Haris Sohail run out (Balbirnie/Dockrell) 3
Misbah-ul Haq hit wkt b Cusack 39
Umar Akmal not out  20
Extras: (b1, lb1, w13)  15
Total (3 wkts, 46.1 overs)  241
Did not bat: Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Ehsan Adil
Fall of wickets: 1-120 (Shehzad), 2-126 (Haris), 3-208 (Misbah)
Bowling: Cusack 10-1-43-1 (3w); Mooney 9-1-40-0 (3w); Thompson 10-0-59-1 (3w); Dockrell 6-0-43-0; K O'Brien 10-0-49-0 (4w); Stirling 1.1-0-5-0;

Result: Pakistan won by seven wickets

Toss: Ireland
Umpires: Marais Erasmus (RSA), Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SRI)
TV umpire: Simon Fry (AUS)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI))

 

Preview

Preview

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq urged his team to build on the momentum gained over the last two weeks as they clash with Ireland in a must-win World Cup game at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

The last league match in the month-long group stage will steer the winner into the quarter-finals and leave the loser facing a tricky run-rate countback against the West Indies.

A likely win for the West Indies over the United Arab Emirates earlier on Sunday will bring them level with Pakistan and Ireland on six points to set up a keen finish for the knock-out rounds.

 

Follow us on Twitter @E247Sports for exclusive coverage of all the action from Down Under

Pakistan lost their opening two matches against old foes India and the West Indies, but bounced back to win the next three to prove once again they are one of the most unpredictable sides in world cricket.

One of those included a stunning success over mighty South Africa in Auckland where they bowled the Proteas out for 202 after making just 222.

"We have got a new life in this tournament and we must ensure we do not waste it," said the 40-year-old Misbah, who along with team-mate Shahid Afridi, will quit one-day cricket once their World Cup ends.

"There are four must-wins games to play starting with the one against Ireland. Then three more and you could win the tournament, so our approach has to be straightforward.

"There will be no second chance. Just go there, be positive, try to get wickets when you bowl and score runs when you bat. The bowlers have done very well so far, it's now the turn of the batsmen to deliver."

Misbah's four half-centuries in five matches have stood out in an otherwise uninspiring batting display where Pakistan have crossed 250 just once when they hammered 339 for six against the amateurs from the United Arab Emirates.

"The key in this World Cup has been to keep wickets in hand till the 35th over and then go for the runs. I think teams who have been able to do this have won 90 percent of the time.

"We would like someone to take responsibility and bat the entire innings so that the momentum can be built from the other end. We have four good seamers in form, its now up to the batsmen to put runs on the board."

Ireland scored a famous three-wicket win over Pakistan when the teams last met in the World Cup in 2007 and Misbah conceded his team needed to be at their best to make the quarter-finals.

"That was eight years ago and we are not looking back, but I agree Ireland are a dangerous team. Everybody knows their strength is batting. They have a pretty mature batting line-up.

"We really have to play our best cricket to beat them."

Pakistan's progress in this World Cup is similar to the one by Imran Khan's men when the tournament was last played Down Under in 1992, rising from the brink of elimination to be crowned champions.

Misbah said while his team will be inspired by the events of 23 years ago, success could not be achieved just by dreaming of it.

"We can certainly take some positives from that and be motivated to do well," he said. "But you just can't sit back and say that since we did it in 1992 we will do it again.

"It does not work that way. We have to perform well on the field to succeed."

Pakistan just another game says Porterfield

Ireland captain William Porterfield is confident his side has prepared well for Sunday's must-win World Cup match against Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval, but insisted it was just another game.

"It's just another game of the group in terms of preparation," he told reporters on Saturday.

"Obviously result-wise it's a key match, but you are still going to prepare like you do for each match.

"The opposition is what's in front of you, and you have to prepare to beat them. I don't think you can think about the outcome and put pressure on yourself.

"Some lads may think about it more than others and that may be an extra motivation factor for them. But as long as we prepare how we have done for each individual game, then we'll be fine."

Debutants Ireland scored a memorable three-wicket win over Pakistan when the teams last met in the World Cup in 2007, but Porterfield said another victory this time will not be considered a surprise.

"That was our first taste of a World Cup and it was our second game in the competition," said the skipper who was part of that match at the Sabina Park in Jamaica.

"Not many countries that were there would have known much about us. But over the last eight years we've obviously grown massively as a cricket-playing nation.

"So I don't think it will be as big surprise if we do go out there and win tomorrow as it would have been back in 2007.

"We now have confidence going into every game that if we bring our A-game and play the way we can play, then we can win each game."

Ireland's batting has shone brightly ever since they chased down the West Indies' 304 for seven which should make them feel comfortable on what is expected to be a run-laden pitch.

Porterfield said any total over 280 would be a par score but emphasised it was vital to assess the conditions that have assisted seam bowling in the second session under lights.

"If you pick up a couple of early wickets, whatever score you get on the board will not be easy to chase down," he said. "I think it all comes down to how well you play on the day."

If Ireland qualify, they will be the only non-Test nation to get past the first round at this World Cup, but Porterfield insisted the associate nations had already proved that the 10-team format planned for the 2019 edition - instead of the 14 at present - needed to be revised.

"I think all the teams in the competition have provided enough evidence to justify a change in the 2019 competition regardless of what happens tomorrow," he said.

"If we do qualify it's going to do even more for Irish cricket because the support we've already had back home has been fantastic.

"Once you get to the quarter-final, who knows where to from there. It's a straight knock-out stage and you're three games away from lifting the Cup."

Five facts:

- Sarfraz Ahmed needs four dismissals to become the seventh wicket-keeper to take 50 ODI dismissals for Pakistan.

- Ed Joyce has been dropped five times in the tournament, the joint-most with Lahiru Thirimanne.

- Niall O'Brien and William Porterfield need to put on 55 runs to become the second Irish pair to record an aggregate ODI partnership of 1,000 runs, after Porterfield and Paul Stirling.

- Shahid Afridi has hit 350 sixes in ODIs, 80 more than anyone else.

- India's total of 300-7 against Pakistan was the only first innings total of 300 or more in the last 21 ODIs at Adelaide.

Squads and officials:

Ireland (from): William Porterfield (capt), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Andrew McBrine, John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Max Sorensen, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson, Craig Young.

Pakistan (from): Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Nasir Jamshed, Sarfraz Ahmed, Younis Khan, Haris Sohail, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali, Ehsan Adil, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz.

Umpires
: Marais Erasmus (RSA), Ruchira Palliyaguruge (SRI)
TV umpire: Simon Fry (AUS)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI))
Weather forecast: Partly cloudy, maximum temperature of 29 Celcius