Pakistan ended Ireland's slim hopes of qualifying for the World Twenty20 semi-finals with a 39-run victory at the Oval here on Monday. Pakistan made 159 for five and then held Ireland - the only non-Test side to have qualified for the second round Super Eights - to 120 for nine, with off-spinner Saeed Ajmal taking four wickets for 19 runs.
Victory all but assured Pakistan of a place in the last four with Tuesday's match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka set to decide which two teams qualify out of Group F. Opener Kamran Akmal's 57 was the cornerstone of Pakistan's total in an innings where Ireland off-spinner Kyle McCallan again proved his worth with two wickets for 26 runs.
Meanwhile, pace bowler Boyd Rankin's four overs cost just 11 runs. Akmal faced 51 balls with a six and five fours. Ireland lost opener Niall O'Brien early in their chase when the wicket-keeper was caught and bowled off a miscued hook by 17-year-old paceman Mohammad Amir.
Paul Stirling, himself only 18, came in for his first match of the tournament with Ireland 13 for one but got off the mark first ball with a superb cover-driven four off left-armer Aamir. But the teenager, on 16, became the latest batsman to be bowled playing across the line against leg-spinner Shahid Afridi, who struck with his sixth ball and Ireland were 42 for two off seven overs.
Ireland captain William Porterfield batted steadily for 40 off 36 balls but when he was caught by opposing skipper Younus Khan off the bowling of Ajmal, Ireland were 87 for three in the 14th over. With six overs left Ireland needed 72 more runs to win. John Mooney, trying to keep Ireland up with the rate, also fell to Ajmal after he was caught in the deep by Abdul Razzaq.
At 99 for five in the 17th over the game was up for Ireland, who later saw four tailend wickets tumble for three runs in six balls. Both Akmal and fellow opener Shahzaib Hasan struck a six off Johnston, whose four overs went for an expensive 45. Akmal, looking to press on, was dismissed by a Johnston yorker as he went down the pitch.
SCOREBOARD
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Pakistan
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Kamran Akmal b Johnston 57
Shahzaib Hasan c McCallan b Cusack 23
Shahid Afridi c Mooney b McCallan 24
Younus Khan b West 10
Misbah-ul-Haq c N O'Brien b McCallan 20
Abdul Razzaq not out 15
Shoaib Malik not out 4
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Extras; (lb3, w2, nb1) 6
Total: (5 wkts, 20 overs) 159
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Did not bat: Fawad Alam, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamir, Saeed Ajmal
Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Shahzaib), 2-78 (Afridi), 3-102 (Younus), 4-133 (Akmal), 5-141 (Misbah-ul-Haq)
Bowling: Rankin 4-0-11-0; Johnston 4-0-45-1 (1nb, 1w); Cusack 4-0-41-1; West 4-0-33-1 (1w); McCallan 4-0-26-2;
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Ireland
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W. Porterfield c Younus b Ajmal 40
N. O'Brien c and b Aamir 7
P. Stirling b Afridi 17
K. O'Brien st Akmal b Ajmal 26
J. Mooney c Razzaq b Ajmal 2
T. Johnston b Gul 0
A. White b Gul 5
A. Cusack st Akmal b Ajmal 2
K. McCallan not out 2
R. West run out (Gul) 1
B. Rankin not out 5
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Extras: (b1, lb7, w3, nb2) 13
Total: (9 wkts, 20 overs) 120
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Fall of wickets: 1-13 (N O'Brien), 2-42 (Stirling), 3-87 (Porterfield), 4-93 (Mooney), 5-99 (Johnston), 6-108 (K O'Brien), 7-110 (Cusack), 8-110 (Gul), 9-111 (West)
Bowling: Aamir 4-0-19-1 (1w); Razzaq 3-0-18-0; Afridi 4-0-26-1 (1w); Ajmal 4-0-19-4 (1w); Malik 1-0-11-0; Gul 4-0-19-2 (2nb);
Result: Pakistan won by 39 runs
Toss: Pakistan
Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (RSA) and Rod Tucker (AUS)
TV umpire: Mark Benson (ENG)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
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