Pakistan beat Ireland by two wickets, clinch series 1-0

27 May, 2013

Pakistan beat Ireland by two wickets in second one day international in a dramatic fashion and clinch the two math series by 1-0, a private TV channel reported late Sunday. According to the channel, Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz match winning and face saving partnership added 93 runs from 62 deliveries and enable Pakistan to chase the modest target of 230 for the loss of 8 wickets with eight balls to spare.
Earlier, Ed Joyce scored his first one-day international hundred for Ireland as the hosts set Pakistan a target of 230 to win the second one-day international at Clontarf on Sunday.
Joyce scored 116 not out in Ireland's 229 for nine.
Joyce came to the middle in the first over after Paul Stirling, the Ireland century-maker in the tied meeting between the sides on Thursday, was caught off a mistimed pull at mid-wicket for a duck and the Sussex captain stayed for the remainder of the innings, facing 132 balls and hitting 12 fours and a six.
He gave one chance, on 61, in the first over of the powerplay, to Mohammad Hafeez at backward point, a juggling effort which should have been held, and he and Kevin O'Brien made Pakistan pay scoring 53 in the next five overs.
O'Brien's innings was cut short on 38 by Abdur Rehman, one of three changes to the Pakistan team from the first game.
Out went the world's leading one-day bowler Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan and Ehsan Adil, with Wahab Riaz, Asad Ali and Rehman coming in.
Significantly, all the batsmen survived from Thursday's encounter, indicating it was the bowling with which the tourists were most unhappy.
Asad Ali made an immediate impression when he had Ireland captain William Porterfield caught behind in his second over for one and Riaz also got among the wickets when Niall O'Brien also gave a catch to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal for 29.
Rehman was the pick of the bowlers with four for 48 from his 10 overs ripping through the middle order of Gary Wilson, Kevin O'Brien, Trent Johnston and Alex Cusack in devastating fashion.
Pakistan saved themselves from embarrassment of becoming first Test playing team to lose a series from Non-Test playing team.

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