Pakistan grabbed a Cricket World Cup quarter-final berth yesterday following their seven-wicket victory against Ireland that also cleared West Indies’ last eight passage from Pool B.
Sarfraz Ahmed (101 not out) hit Pakistan’s first century at this year’s World Cup and added 120 runs with Ahmed Shehzad (63) to give the team their best start in the tournament.
The 1992 champions overwhelmed their 238-run victory target with nearly four overs to spare, but Ahmed’s struggle to get his first one-day international century and Umar Akmal’s blocking at the other end to help his partner achieve the milestone made it a dull end to the match.
Photo: AFP
Pakistan’s chase got off to a slow start with the Ireland bowlers maintaining a tight leash and conceding just two boundaries in the first seven overs.
It was when George Dockrell was brought into the attack that Ahmed and Shehzad broke loose, hitting two boundaries each in the 10th over of the innings.
Shehzad took 52 balls to bring up his half-century and Pakistan reached the 100 mark in the 19th over to put behind the slow start.
Ahmed needed 58 balls to reach his 50 and Pakistan seemed to have finally found an answer to their opening woes.
Shehzad threw away his wicket in the 23rd over and Misbah-ul-Haq fell after contributing 39, but Pakistan’s victory was never in doubt.
They will now face tournament co-hosts Australia in the third quarter-final in Adelaide, Australia, on Friday.
Earlier, Ireland captain William Porterfield led by example, hitting his first World Cup century to lift Ireland to 237 contributing nearly half of the team’s total.
Porterfield’s decision to bat was a positive one, but Ireland lost wickets each time a partnership appeared to be building.
The skipper picked up the length well and backed himself to go for his shots, one such instance had him swivelling to pull Sohail Khan for the first of the two sixes in the Ireland innings.
Ed Joyce was lucky early in his knock, dropped by a wrong-footed Ahmed Shehzad at point and surviving a strong caught-behind appeal. However, the 36-year-old could not make the most of his seemingly charmed life, and fluffed a pull shot to depart after making 11.
Porterfield also needed some luck to bring up his 100. Batting on 94, the left-hander nearly ran himself out at the non-striker’s end after abandoning his bid for a non-existent single.
His century also came in streaky fashion with Porterfield driving the ball back to bowler Rahat Ali, who could not take the catch on his follow-through.
The Ireland skipper eventually fell in the 39th over, Shahid Afridi rushing from the edge of the circle to take a low, diving catch after Porterfield had mistimed a drive off Sohail Khan.
The West Indies were left on the verge of a World Cup quarter-final place after overpowering the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by six wickets in their last Pool B match yesterday.
They reached their victory target of 176 runs in just 30.3 overs in Napier, New Zealand.
After a labored performance in the field in the must-win match, the West Indies picked up the intensity when batting, as the storm clouds on the fringes of Cyclone Pam edged toward McLean Park.
A washout would have ended their World Cup campaign, but the weather held off and the West Indies got the win they needed.
Johnson Charles, making his first World Cup appearance after being brought in as an injury replacement for Darren Bravo, was thrust into the team at the last minute when Chris Gayle pulled out with a back injury.
However, there was no sign of rustiness as he and fellow opener Dwayne Smith launched into Nasir Aziz when UAE skipper Mohammad Tauqir decided his batting hero should opening the bowling with a touch of spin.
Charles’ cavalier innings ended on 55 off 40 deliveries and Andre Russell added 7, before Carter (50 not out) and Denesh Ramdin (33 not out) saw the West Indies to a comfortable victory.
Additional reporting by AFP
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