Pakistan faced Ireland in their final Group A T20 World Cup 2024 match in Florida on June 16. Both sides battled for dignity after being eliminated from the competition for the Super 8s stage.
Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first. The Babar Azam-led team made one change, with Abbas Afridi replacing Naseem Shah. Shaheen Afridi (3/22) and Imad Wasim (3/8) ran riot as Ireland's batting struggled against Pakistani bowlers.
The top five Irish batters left with single digits. Gareth Delany was the top scorer with 31 off 19 balls, hitting three sixes and one boundary. Joshua Little also contributed 22 from 18 deliveries. Mark Adair and George Dockrell also had double-digit totals. Ireland could only manage 106/9 in 20 overs as a result.
In response, the Ireland pacers gave Pakistani batters a tough time. Openers Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub both fell for 17 runs. It was Babar Azam who anchored one end, while the Pakistani middle order crumbled against the Irish bowling attack.
Fakhar Zaman (5), Usman Khan (5), Imad Wasim (4), and Shadab Khan (0) all perished against some brilliant bowling. Abbas Afridi put the brakes on the fall of wickets and relieved some pressure on Pakistan with his 17 in 21 balls.
However, Pakistan found themselves in trouble once Abbas Afridi fell, but Shaheen Afridi came out and hammered two sixes in his 5-ball 13 as Pakistan romped home with 7 balls to spare. Babar Azam remained unbeaten on 32 in 34 balls with 2 fours as Pakistan won the match by 3 wickets.
This meant that Pakistan finished the T20 World Cup 2024 journey with 4 points from 2 wins in 4 matches, while Ireland failed to win any matches, with one washed out.
The win even got a reaction from former Pakistan captain and ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is in jail.
Imran Khan posted a message on his X handle right after Pakistan’s win and mentioned Mohsin Naqvi, the current PCB chief as well.
He wished Pakistan on the occasion of Eid and slammed Naqvi for the condition of Pakistan cricket, blaming him for the decline of the game in the country on his governance.
Imran Khan posted: “Eid Mubarak to my nation. Eid ul Azha marks the embracing of the spirit of sacrifice exemplified by the Prophet Ibrahim AS. Unfortunately, the worship of the ego and nafs e ammara by a few individuals has led to the degradation of every institution and the moral decay of our society. The plight of Pakistani cricket illustrates how the ego of an individual and consequent nepotism have already pushed Pakistan to the brink of disaster. Mohsin Naqvi is not only regarded as a son by Asif Zardari, also known as Mr. 10%, but he also has a family relationship with COAS Asim Munir. Mohsin Naqvi acts as their frontman and was first rewarded with the position of Chief Minister, marking one of the darkest eras in Pakistan’s history. He must be tried under Article 6 for not allowing elections to be held in Punjab as was required under our Constitution. He also unleashed unprecedented brutality upon the nation: homes were violated, workers were killed, jailed, and subjected to torture.
After accomplishing a record-setting level of fascism, he was rewarded with not only the sensitive responsibility of the interior ministry but also the PCB Chairmanship. Instead of focusing on enhancing the team’s performance, Mohsin Naqvi invested all his energies in suppressing political opponents. The recent performance of the Pakistan Cricket Team shows that the players are at their lowest morale, as the team is presided over by an incompetent tout. These mistaken priorities are also evident in the country’s law and order situation. All state machinery is focused on unleashing fascism & violence against citizens, while the law and order situation has deteriorated and terrorism is on the rise, and the economy is in a tailspin. Lastly, the ‘Jungle ka Badshah’, who is the prime string-puller, must now stop the destruction of the institutions. It is high time for course correction, lest the country meets the same fate as the Pakistan Cricket Team did in the 2024 World Cup.”
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