"What happened to all that commando training?" - Fans react after Ireland's historic win against Pakistan in first T20I in Dublin
Pakistan suffered a shock five-wicket defeat against Ireland in the first T20I on Friday (May 10) at the Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin. It was the first-ever T20I win for the Irish team against Pakistan.
The visiting team batted first in the contest after losing the toss and scored a decent total of 182/6 in 20 overs. Mohammad Rizwan departed early in the second over after a misunderstanding while running between the wickets.
Babar Azam (57) and Saim Ayub (45) then put on an 85-run partnership for the second wicket to steady things. However, the duo could not convert their starts into big ones. Iftikhar Ahmed (37*) and Shaheen Afridi (14*) played vital cameos in the end to finish the innings on a high for the Men in Green.
Ireland then reached 183/5 in 19.5 overs to seal a famous win. Opener Andrew Balbirni (77) starred for them in the batting department with a match-winning half-century. Harry Tector (36), George Dockrell (24), and others chipped in with mini contributions to complement his efforts.
Fans took note of Ireland's historic win over the Asian giants. Here are some of their reactions on X:
"Historic win, what a game of cricket congratulations to Ireland ," a fan wrote.
Another fan questioned the Babar Azam-led side's preparations ahead of the series, writing:
"Not So Surprising news from across the border. Ireland defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in the first T20 match!! What happened to all that commando training by #Army ??"
"Lmao after Zimbabwe, Ireland is new rival of Pakistan," a fan wrote.
"Easy win for Ireland against this ordinary and over-hyped Pakistan bowling lineup," a fan wrote.
"A historic day in Ireland cricket, making a statement for the World Cup," a fan wrote.
"We weren't good with the bowling and fielding" - Pakistan captain Babar Azam after loss against Ireland in 1st T20I
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Babar Azam blamed the bowling and fielding departments for the defeat against Ireland. He felt they batted decently to get to 180 as the pitch was two-paced in the first innings. Babar said:
"We didn't start off well in the six overs, the pitch was two paced, with the extra-bounce. But, we recovered very well, 180 at the toss we thought it was good, but we weren't good with the bowling and fielding, few dropped catches cost us the game. Ireland batted well and they were the deserved winners, we lost it in the last 10 overs."
The two teams will square off in the second T20I of the three-match series on Sunday (May 12).