That's it from all of us for this game. It was pleasure bringing you all the updates from this contest. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Keep joining us for more cricketing action all around the globe. For now, this is Akshay Bhide, signing off, on behalf of my co-commentator Ajay Pal Singh and scorer Paras Yadav. Until next time, cheers and good bye.
Babar Azam (Pakistan Captain): "Yes, we finished well. I think when we started with the ball and took early wickets. It went well but with the bat, we kept losing wickets and I had to stay there and get the team over the line with the tailenders.
In bowling, the conditions suited our fast bowlers but as a batting unit, we struggled. If the team wants me to bat at 3, I am okay, if they want me to open I am happy to do that as well (when asked if he would continue to bat at 3 or open for Pakistan in T20Is).
We have a bunch of good players. We will go and sit back and analyse what went wrong. Positive, we have played a few close games. As a team, we were not good in the tournament. As individuals, there were a few performances but as a unit, we didn't do well."
Paul Stirling (Ireland Captain): "We were good in patches. We had a disastrous start, losing wickets inside the powerplay. But we did well to show the fight with the ball
The fight we showed. We did well to take it deep after losing three quick wickets and picking wickets. Proud of the fight we showed.
It's about getting that balance right. In T20 cricket, it is important and we haven't found it yet. It is about knowing when to go hard and when to absorb the pressure. In the game against Canada, we went into a shell.
It's tough to analyze what went wrong. We will get back to Ireland and regroup and see where it went wrong for us in the tournament.
Most Player of the Match awards in T20 World Cups for
Pakistan: 4 - Shahid Afridi 3 - Umar Gul 3 - Shaheen Afridi
Most runs as skipper in T20 World Cups:
549 - Babar Azam in 17 innings
529 - Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 29 innings
527 - Kane Williamson in 19 innings
360 - Mahela Jayawardene in 11 innings
Shaheen Afridi (Player of the Match): "Yeah, I think the wicket was supporting the new ball and we tried to hit the right areas and pick early wickets.
Everyone is totally different. I try to bowl fuller. Everyone is different. Everyone go with their strengths. But at the end of the day, that finish is good.
I think to be honest, we haven't played good cricket that our country demands. We have improve on a certain areas with the Champions Trophy coming in.
That crowd come in and support us. Thank you to everyone for coming in and supporting us. It's tough times but that's what we need as a team.
That's my job. I come in late in the innings. I try to do what the team needs and I always try to hit sixes."
Player of the Match: Shaheen Afridi
11:40 PM IST & 2:10 PM Local Time: That's it, Pakistan get over the line but not without drama. Chasing 107 for the win, Pakistan nearly bottled the chase but thanks to their skipper Babar Azam who held the innings together and saw them over the line. Second win for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2024 and they bow out of the tournament on a positive note.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan restricted Ireland to 106/9 in 20 overs after opting to bowl first in bowling-friendly conditions.
Shaheen Afridi started the game with two wickets in his first over. Mohammad Amir then also got among the wickets in his first over.
Ireland were reeling at 32 for 5 at the end of the powerplay. Gareth Delany top-scored with a knock of 35 while a late cameo from Josh Little pushed Irelandβs total beyond 100.
Shaheen and Imad Wasim picked up three wickets apiece while Mohammad Amir chipped in with a couple of wickets. Haris Rauf finished his four overs at 1/17.
In the chase, Pakistan too lost early wickets. After an opening stand of 23 runs, Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were in a spot of bother at 62/6 at one stage.
However, skipper Babar Azam led from the front and took his side over the line. Shaheen Afridi came out in the end and hit a few big blows to finish the chase with 7 balls to spare. Babar remained unbeaten on 32 off 34.
That's the end of the road for both these teams in the tournament. Stay tuned for the post-match presentations.