Published: Aug 20, 2016, 07:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 20, 2016, 01:36 AM (IST)
Pakistan have had a terrific tour of England, so far, as they drew the four-Test series against the hosts before moving to Ireland to dominate them, winning in the first One-Day International (ODI) by 255 runs. Pakistan did not put a foot wrong in the series opener versus the team who has defeated them in the ICC World Cup 2007, and ran over them easily. The visitors cannot afford to get complacent as they have a tough five-ODI series against England before signing off from their tour of Europe. Ireland, on the other hand, have an uphill task ahead in they have any chance of a comeback. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD Pakistan vs Ireland, Live Score, 2nd ODI match
In the first ODI, Ireland won the toss and elected to bowl. Their bowlers had a poor show in the series against Sri Lanka and the script remained the same for them, in fact, it got worse for them. Their bowlers did not bowl wicket taking deliveries and sprayed the ball in all corners of the pitch, with Sharjeel Khan making a mockery of them to set an imposing target of 338 runs. Ireland also looked spineless with their batting managing only 82 runs.
A perfect match it was for Pakistan and they would like to make further amends, as they are currently ranked No. 9 in the ICC ODI rankings. They will like to prove the cricketing arena that they still have steam left in them to compete and play well anywhere. Pakistan have always been a team who is unpredictable and have a thing to prove and they play to their best when on a rampage. ALSO READ: Sharjeel Khan hits 3rd fastest ODI 150
Pakistan changed their batting line-up in the first ODI with Sharjeel and Azhar Ali opening the innings. Mohammad Hafeez came at No. 3 but still could not make a mark. He needs to stand up as he has had a torrid time in England. Shoaib Malik came after Sarfraz Ahmed and struck a well-stitched fifty along with Mohammad Nawaz. He will like to bat lower down the order as he has some new players to groom. Sarfraz will also like to go bonkers after the hapless Irish bowlers, and find some rhythm before the England series.
On the bowling front, Mohammad Aamer will continue to spearhead the attack along with ace veteran bowler Umar Gul. He looked in good shape and his yorkers have been unplayable. He will like to resort to his old ploys and rattle the opposition batters. Imad Wasim got a five-for in the last game as he exposed the weakness of the Irish players against spin. Another emphatic performance will be required by them before the more competitive series begin versus England. ALSO READ: Sharjeel, Wasim lead PAK to 255-run win over IRE
Pakistan are on a high and will like to continue in the same stead. They have a point to prove to the entire cricketing fraternity by performing well in coloured jersey. They have started their new season in favourable fashion but will be interesting to see for how long will they maintain the momentum, as they have remained confined to being an inconsistent and unpredictable unit.
(Aditya Sahay is a journalist with CricketCountry who is completely into sports and loves writing about cricket in general. He can be followed on Twitter at adisahay7)
