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Naeem Niazi
LAHORE, May 09 (APP):Lahore/Dublin: The Pakistan Men’s cricket team will take on Irish cricket team in the first-ever three-match T20I series between the two countries which is expected to provide both the teams an opportunity to put final touches to their preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in West Indies an USA next month.
The first T20I of the series will be played on May 10 (Friday) while the next two matches will take place at the Castle Avenue on May 12 (Sunday) and May 14 (Tuesday). All the matches are scheduled to be played in Dublin.
The series marks the first time Ireland will host Pakistan for a T20I series. The two sides have previously met only once in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009 where Pakistan won by 39 runs with Kamran Akmal receiving the player of the match award for his 51-ball 57 and two stumpings.
Both teams are in the same group for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and will face each other in Florida on 16 June. Apart from the two sides, India, USA, and Canada are also in the same group, with the top two teams advancing to the second stage.
On the importance of the series, Pakistan Head Coach Azhar Mahmood has said that Pakistan only played Ireland once, so they were a relatively new opponent for us, adding that any team in T20 cricket can be dangerous as the match can swing in one over.
“The three T20Is will provide us with good information about their players and how they approach T20 cricket,” Azhar said.
On the preparations for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, he said the preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 began with the home series against New Zealand and now it is all about putting the final touches on those preparations. “We have clarity on our game plans, strategies and combinations. It’s about bringing everything together before we arrive in the United States,” the Head Coach added.
On the other hand, fast bowler Mohammad Amir has been issued visa for Ireland and he is expected to be available for selection for the second and third T20Is of the three-match series.
After the three-match series against Ireland, Pakistan are due to leave for England for a four-match T20I series with the matches scheduled at Headingley (22 May), Birmingham (25 May), Cardiff (28 May), and The Oval, London (30 May), both England and Pakistan will head to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. England will face Scotland in Barbados on 4 June in their opening match, while Pakistan will launch their campaign against the USA in Dallas on 6 June.
Squads (to be selected from):
Ireland: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir (unavailable for first T20I), Mohammad Rizwan, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Usman Khan.