Another close defeat for Ireland’s cricketers as Laura Delany’s side falter against Pakistan

Pakistan (92-5, 14 overs)(Muneeba Ali 29, Nida Dar 26; Jane Maguire 2-14) beat Ireland (83-6, 14 overs) (Gaby Lewis 47; Tuba Hassan 1-10) by 13 runs on DLS. Full scorecard here.

Ireland fell to an agonising 13-run defeat to Pakistan in a rain-shortened tri-series clash at Bready. Set a DLS-adjusted target of 97 in 14 overs, Gaby Lewis top-scored with 47 to put Ireland in a winning position but a lack of boundaries and strike rotation in the middle overs cost them dear.

Left with 18 to get off the final over, Lewis was run out and the middle order could not find the boundaries required.

Earlier on, Ava Canning struck with the first legal delivery of the match to bowl Iram Javed while Jane Maguire was the pick of the attack with 2-14 to restrict Pakistan to 92 for five.

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The start was initially delayed by rain at Bready, but when the sides came out Canning caused issues bowling with plenty of movement away to the left-hander on a slow pitch. Muneeba Ali rebuilt with captain Bismah Maroof to ensure another wicket was not lost in the power play but Ireland would have been very happy to hold their visitors to 32-1 during that period.

Ali ultimately top scored for Pakistan with 29 (24) but the innings of Nida Dar was arguably the most valuable, flaying her way to 26 off 15 balls. Her cameo that featured three boundaries and one maximum propelled her side up to what proved to be a competitive total. Dar’s strike rate of 173 was by far the highest of any batter on the day.

Ireland seemed in control of the chase while Lewis was at the crease, her opening stand of 55 with Rebecca Stokell leaving just 42 runs required off the final 38 balls when Merrion batter Stokell was dismissed by Tuba Hassan. From there, though, Ireland failed to keep up with the rate as scoring shots tried up.

The equation escalated to 30 runs needed off the final three - ten an over - to 18 off that last set of six that came up short. It was disappointing for an Irish middle order that also struggled at times earlier in the summer against South Africa but has been bolstered by players returning from injury.

“With the ball and in the field we did a really good job but maybe gave them a few too many runs at the end,” said a disappointed Ireland captain Laura Delany. “The two openers with the bat did well but we struggled during that middle period to find boundaries and put pressure on ourselves. Then we needed too many off the last few overs.

“The catch 22 when you play in these games is you want to win them but when you lose you have to reflect on them, go away and think about how we can win these games. It’s important when we go into the [T20 World Cup qualifiers] that we don’t find ourselves in this situation, but to do that you need to be in the situation first.

“We struggled to find boundaries and Pakistan showed their experience at the end, that’s something we can’t compete with at the moment.”