Key events
2nd over: Pakistan 6-0 (Rizwan 4, Saim 2) Little on the money straight away. Saim can’t get him away but whips at one that lands near the rope and sticks like a cherry dropped in some whipped cream.
Pakistan need 107 to win
1st over: Pakistan 4-0 (Rizwan 4, Saim 0) Rizwan presents his bat in a forward defensive and is a hairs-width from a nibble behind to Adair’s first ball. The next is slammed down the ground for four. Retorts with a couple of zingers.
An Ireland huddle on the field as Saim Ayub and Rizwan stride out.
Shaheen Shah Afridi: “As usual I’m trying to strike early on, I followed my plan. We did a good job as bowling unit.”
Pakistan need 5.35 an over to win – I’ll be back as soon as the kettle has boiled to take you through their chase.
Pakistan need 107 to win!
20th over: Ireland 106-9 (Little 22, White 5) Imad Wasim with the last over. Little reverse-sweeps the first for a couple, tries to repeat the shot next ball but misses. Misses the sweep next ball too, and can’t get anything on the fourth or fifth. The sixth is patted for one. Three from an excellent last over and Ireland have a total on the board. Should be easily within Pakistan’s grasp but they have tested their own resolve this tournament.
19th over: Ireland 103-9 (Little 19, White 5) Little steals the strike after a direct hit flies wide. Looks for a no ball off a slower ball but the umpire says no – perhaps lucky to get away with that. The next slower ball is slammed straight for six.
18th over: Ireland 95-9 (Little 12, White 4) A bold move to attack the returning Afridi but it pays off as Little pastes him through midwicket for four. With two overs left, Ireland creeping towards three figures.
17th over: Ireland 89-9 (Little 7, White 3) After a couple of dots, Amir nearly slips in his action. The third ball raps off White’s forearm and into Rizwan’s gloves. Rizwan fancies a review but the umpires remind him that Pakistan have already burnt them all. Amir continues to sizzle – and that’s a maiden.
16th over: Ireland 89-9 (Little 7, White 3) White fairly clueless against Imad, who is finding turn from this tricksy pitch.
15th over: Ireland 86-9 (Little 6, White 1) A couple of singles picked off the accurate Rauf until Little skews four from the last.
WICKET! McCarthy b Imad 12 (Ireland 80-9)
14th over: Ireland 81-9 (Little 1) McCarthy strides legside, goes for the grand heave-ho and must hear the sound of timber.
WICKET! Adair c Afridi b Imad 15 (Ireland 79-8)
Adair perishes going for the big shot but both Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan are waiting on the rope and neither seems to see or hear each other. Afridi takes the catch, his arms the longer, but both fall to the ground, Afridi seemingly on top of Usman who hasn’t put his hands back to protect himself as he falls.
13th over: Ireland 79-7 ( Adair 15, McCarthy 2) Haris Rauf returns, hands together, scampering approach. Just three off the over, beats the attacking McCarthy.
12th over: Ireland 76-7( Adair 14, McCarthy 0) Imad makes the breakthrough just as Delany was threatening to go downtown . The partnership worth 44.
WICKET! Delaney c Shadab b Imad 31 (Ireland 76-7)
Imad Wasim’s first wicket of the World Cup! A starshaped celebration after a ball that turns more than Delaney was expecting flies off the edge into the hands of the prowling point
11th over: Ireland 75-6 ( Delany 31, Adair 13) Ireland continuing their flame-away policy and at the moment it is paying dividends – Adair throws the bat at Abbas and the ball flies over the keeper for four. Delaney rags the fifth up and off the back foot and far enough to soar over the rope. Sixteen from the over and a familiar angst starts to grip Pakistan.
10th over: Ireland 59-6 ( Delany 22, Adair 8) Some legspin from Shadab Khan. Delaney fires the first ball back over his head for six with a flowing arc of the bat. With Ireland in smash or splat mode, Shadab could be in for some treatment. Delaney pulls the last with gusto – Haris Rauf on the rope leaps but can’t hold on. Time for DRINKS.
9th over: Ireland 48-6 ( Delany 15, Adair 4) Delany hammers a ball straight back and into Rauf’s wrist. He gets some physio attention but seems to be in one piece. Next ball, Delaney helicopters six into the crowd, where a woman in the crowd fans herself in the heat.
8th over: Ireland 41-6 ( Delany 8, Adair 4) Abbas Afridi makes his World Cup bow with Pakistan sitting pretty. Delaney could have been run out from a direct hit by not grounding his bat. Ireland collect eight runs from a bit of heave and ho.
7th over: Ireland 33-6 ( Delany 4, Adair 1) Haris Rauf replaces Afridi, and immediately causes trouble of his own. The second ball flies high into Rizwan’s hands. The third sends Campher back to the dressing room. Ireland seem in a great hurry to go nowhere at all.
WICKET! Campher c Saim b Rauf 7 (Ireland 32-6)
Campher throws mop, bucket and kitchen sink at a ball outside off stump from Rauf but only succeeds in skying it. Saim calmly collects at midwicket with sunglasses on.
6th over: Ireland 32-5 ( Campher 7, Delany 4) At the end of the power play, Ireland are in a sticky situation. Delany flames Amir for four to haul Ireland into the thirties.
WICKET! Dockrell c and b Amir 11 (Ireland 28-5)
Done by a slow legcutter. Dockrell drops his head in regret as the ball dollies up in air and falls gently into Amir’s hands.
5th over: Ireland 28-4 ( Campher 7, Dockrell 11) Can Ireland survive SSA’s third over? They can, with panache! After 22 dot balls in the innings, Dockrell makes contact and sends the ball flying over extra cover for four. And again, next ball! This time with more control. Threatens to be three in a row but Abbas Afridi makes up for not stopping things at mid-on by chasing it all the way back to the rope.
4th over: Ireland 17-4 ( Campher 7, Dockrell 0) The novelty of a wicketless over.
3rd over: Ireland 15-4 ( Campher 5) Afridi with a wide – a little light relief for Ireland – has Campbell grasping at the second. Babar is then persuaded to burn his second and final review by SSA –the power of the charismatic fast bowler – but it was pitching outside leg. The next ball interests SSA but not the slips – but turns out to have been an edge. Finally he gets his reward as Tector is pinned to the spot – though TV review later show it pitched outside leg!
WICKET! Tector lbw Afridi 0 (Ireland 15-4)
After a succession of near-misses one way or another, Afridi pleads for the finger to go up. And it does, another snaking delivery, high skill at top speed. Hits the boot. Tector briefly considers reviewing, but decides no.
2nd over: Ireland 8-3 ( Tector 0, Campher 4) Light relief in the form of Mohammad Amir. A less intimidating figure, but still a threat, as Stirling goes on an ill-fated attack. Campher does well to survive his first ball, picking up a four with an inside edge that he had no control over. Goes to attack the last ball too – bold – but misses.
WICKET! Stirling c Rizwan b Amir 1 (Ireland 4-3)
Stirling attempts a polka in gumboots and succeeds only in giving Rizwan another catch.
1st over: Ireland 2-2 (Stirling 0, Tector 0). Afridi fancies a third in the over, an lbw shout against Tector. Babar reviews, but ball tracking shows it was missing. Prime Afridi proving more than a handful for Pakistan.
WICKET! Tucker c Rizwan b Afridi 0 (Ireland 2-2)
Tucker done up like a kipper, plays for the inswinger, gets one across him and nudges one behind for Rizwan.
WICKET! Balbirnie b Shaheen Shah Afridi 0 (Ireland 0-1)
Balbirnie fancies driving this one but instead loses his stumps to a snorting inswinger straight from the SSA scrapbook.
How will the pitch behave after so much rain? We will find out shortly. Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie prepare to face Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Ireland belt out theirs, arms round each others shoulders. Pakistan’s military-style ditty is a palm on hearts affair. Babar, face plastered in suncream, looks pensive.
They flash up the Group A points table – a sorry tale, Pakistan have two points and Ireland one. There isn’t a huge turn out at Lauderhill as far as I can see – despite this being the only game in Florida that hasn’t been washed out. Or maybe because of. Here come the anthems.
Ireland XI
Ireland: Andy Balbirnie, Paul Stirling (capt), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little, Ben White.
Leggie Ben White replaces Craig Young.
Pakistan XI
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan , Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir.
No Naseem Shah today, 23 year old medium-fast bowler Abbas Afridi replaces him.
Pakistan win the toss and bowl!
The weather is behaving, the outfield has drained and we shall have play. Babar chooses to bowl – will his on-paper-formidable lineup turn up today?
Ali on England’s tense night of the soul.
How about a pinch of James Joyce to cheer things up:
Weather watch
After India v Canada was washed out yesterday at Lauderhill, and USA v Ireland on Friday, much depends on the lasting dampness of the outfield as well as overhead conditions. Current reports suggest it is grey and soggy. Much like the mood of both camps.
Preamble
Hello! After the scramble of last night/early morning, with England scraping into the Super Eights via a rainy win over Namibia and a fingernail win by Australia over Scotland, to the damp of Florida. Here two countries already kicked out of the World Cup must gird their sinews for one final battle before going home.
For Ireland and Pakistan, there is only pride at stake, with both countries enduring a campaign to forget. Perhaps from the dust, one last bit of entertainment for the fans who have turned up regardless, draped in the flags and the facepaint and the enthusiasm.
Play starts at 3.30pm BST.
