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Pakistan bounced back after suffering a shocking defeat at the hands of Ireland after defeating them in the second T20I in Dublin. With the three-match series tied at 1-1 both the teams will look to win the third and last match to pocket the series.
In this article, we will look at all the aspects of the series decider scheduled to take place on May 14
Ireland
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The home team has been in magnificent form in 2024 the change in captaincy with experienced Irish batter Paul Stirling taking charge from former captain Andrew Balbarinie Ireland has found its mojo back with its attacking style of play especially in the batting department. The change has been led by captain Paul Starling who has been in magnificent form since the start of the year and has been batting with an attacking mindset.
Positives
Along with Stirling Ireland’s biggest positive has been the form of their former captain Andie Balbirnie who seemed to find his form back since he relinquished the nation’s captaincy following Ireland’s disappointing performance in the qualifier of the World Cup 2023 qualifier held in Zimbabwe in 2023.
If we talk about other players who have been performing for the team consistently the first two names that come to mind are those of bowling all-rounder George Dockrell and Curtis Campher both of whom have scored handy runs lower down the order which proved to be vital in the first T20I against Pakistan
The Concerns
One of the things that the Paul Stirling-led side would be concerned about is the team’s middle-order batting as it plays a huge role in deciding the outcome of the match. Ireland would hope that the middle-order batters step up for the team to register a memorable series win against a test-playing nation.
Another thing that Ireland would be apprehensive about is the team’s bowling in the death over as it is one of the crucial parts of T20 cricket
Also Read: Venues Of ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Part II
Pakistan
The Babar Azam-led side bounced back after facing a shocking loss to Ireland in the first T20I of the three-match series by winning the second game comprehensively by seven wickets. Chasing a target of 194 Pakistan lost two wickets early in a high-scoring encounter but was lifted by the partnership between Muhammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman as the duo added 140 decisive runs for the third wicket which helped Pakistan level the series 1-1
Also Read: Venues Of ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Part-1
The Positives
The biggest positive for the man in green in the second T20I was the form of hard-hitting batter Fakhar Zaman who scored an attacking half-century after Pakistan lost two quick wickets. Another positive for Pakistan in the batting department was the finishing touches provided by Azam Khan who ended up scoring 30* of 10 balls it is something that Pakistan has struggled with in the past
The Concerns
One thing that Pakistan should be mindful of is the form of its bowling attack with experienced bowlers like Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, and Naseem Shah going for runs the only shining light for Pakistan in the second T20I was Imad Wasim who bowled economically. For a team that takes pride in its bowling, it is something that does not augre well for Pakistan before the T20 World Cup
