Ireland vs Pakistan, 36th Match, Group A at Lauderhill, T20 World Cup, Jun 16 2024 - Ball by Ball Commentary

2.10pm Ireland have made a mighty good fist of this low total, but ran out of gas in the end as Stirling had no option but to turn to his spinners to make up for overs. They went all in with pace through much of the innings in search of wickets, and were well and truly in the game for most parts of their defence. Babar Azam stood like a rock and absorbed all the pressure, and was there in the end when the winning runs were hit.

At one point, it seemed as if this was Ireland's game to lose. But the 33-run stand between Babar and Abbas brought them close, before Shaheen's big hitting sealed the deal. Not sure how morale-boosting this win is, but they'll now have to prepare to face the wrath of a nation whose anger has been bubbling up following their group stage exit.

Already there's chatter that Babar may not continue as captain. There's a saga waiting to unfold once the team lands. For now, it's time for Alan and me to head off. Thanks very much for your company. Don't forget we've got two games coming up in less than six hours. Bangladesh take on Nepal, while Netherlands play Sri Lanka. At stake is the final qualifying spot for the Super Eights.

Shaheen Afridi is Player of the Match. "Wicket was good for bowling, we just tried to strike early," he says. "Everyone was looking to bowl fuller, tried to hit our areas. That finish is good. We haven't played the kind of cricket our country demands, have a few areas to improve on. Crowd always come in and support us, they've done some throughout the World Cup. It's tough [the result] but thanks to the fans."

Paul Stirling, Ireland captain: "Think so, played well I patches, start of the day didn't go terribly well, they put pressure on us early on. Proud of the fight we've shown, 30 for 5 to get that score, wasn't too far away. It's getting that balance right. T20 we probably haven't got that this time around. It's been a difficult couple of weeks, go back regroup and see if we can come back stronger."

Babar Azam, the winning captain: "Yes we finished well, we took early wickets with the ball. With the bat we didn't finish well. Lost back to back wickets, got over the line in the end. I think with the bowling, conditions suit our bowlers, in batting few mistakes in USA, India matches, when you lose wickets pressure is on you. Let's see, what team needs, I'll be okay with it. Have a good bunch of players, we've to go home, chat and see where we lacked, and then come back. Couldn't finish off close games, as a team we weren't good as a team."

Jainendra: "17.1 Third umpire taking so much time when the impact was clearly way outside off, is absolutely mind boggling." -- Totally.

Monish Pokhrel: "You are true Pakistani fan if still you are sacred that Pak may lose to Ireland from this very point of time with someone as good as Babar Azam at the crease."