His fans have come to expect thunderous innings and Kevin O'Brien didn't
let them down, with his 84 off 47 balls seizing a tie for Ireland
against Pakistan in the first of two ODIs at Clontarf.
Ireland's cricket resurgence was sparked by beating Pakistan at the 2007
World Cup, when Trent Johnston and O'Brien saw them home at Sabina Park.
The same pair were at the wicket with 13 needed off three balls here,
when O'Brien hit Saeed Ajmal for six and two, before the last ball sped
for four to leave them one run short of their Duckworth-Lewis-adjusted
target.
"It feels a bit like a loss to be honest", a downcast O'Brien said
afterwards, "we got ourselves in a position to win. You don't go out to
tie a game, you go out to win it."
O'Brien's Man-of-the-Match knock, which included 11 fours and 2 sixes,
overshadowed two masterful centuries of contrasting styles. A
high-class, unbeaten 122 by Mohammad Hafeez warmed the hearts and hands
of the large Pakistani contingent before Paul Stirling fired Ireland's
chase with a ton of his own.
Hafeez, 32, made his first ODI century in 19 innings as Pakistan
overcame difficult early conditions to post a formidable 266 for 5. The
quality of Hafeez's innings was all the more laudable considering it was
interrupted four times by stoppages as the Dublin skies emptied rain
and hail on the picturesque ground.
In some ways the climate may prove as much a block to Irish ambitions as
anything else. The many new fans the game has won in the country in
recent years can't have been impressed by the live experience, as almost
all the marquee fixtures since 2007 have been interrupted by rain.
The crowd were good-natured, however, and a carnival atmosphere obtained
despite the chill. Eyebrows were raised when Pakistan opted to bat on
winning the toss but, after fine opening spells by Tim Murtagh and
Johnston there was little to concern the visitors.
Nasir Jamshed hit as big a six as has ever been seen here but was forced
to retire hurt on 15 and when first-change bowler Alex Cusack snapped
up Imran Farhat the locals found their voice. But it was another 30
overs before they had anything to cheer about as Hafeez and Asad Shafiq
found batting increasingly easy.
Shafiq passed 1000 runs in ODIs, and his personal best, and was in sight
of a maiden century when he spooned Cusack to Johnston at long-on.
Their partnership of 188 was the second highest against Ireland for any
wicket, dwarfed only by Brendon McCullum and James Marshall's opening
274 for New Zealand against a virtual second string in 2008.
Hafeez moved steadily to his hundred, finding gaps all round the wicket
and reaching the milestone off 102 balls. There was a hiccup next over
when the recovered Jamshed was well-taken by a diving Tim Murtagh and,
next ball, Hafeez sent Misbah ul-Haq back, which he declined to do and
was run out without facing. Kamran Akmal cracked three boundaries before
O'Brien yorked him in the final over, and there was just time for
Hafeez to sign off with a glorious cover drive to close as classy an
innings as Dublin has seen in quite a while.
With only 47 overs bowled, the target was revised up to 276 and Stirling
set Ireland off in a fashion that has become his mark. Two years ago he
made a century against the same opposition, which caused Waqar Younis
to rave: "He is a fine player, he played proper shots and he is not
scared of playing his shots against good bowlers."
Here he played classical drives and deft cuts whilst bludgeoning
boundaries on the way to his fifth ODI hundred, in 101 balls. He and
Porterfield put on 62, before the second large second-wicket stand of
the day, with Ed Joyce. The Sussex man has been in fine form in England
but was disappointed to miss a straight one from Hafeez. The pitch
generally failed to turn as much as expected and Saeed Ajmal had a day
to forget quickly, his ten overs going for 71. He frequently bowled
short and O'Brien played some punching backfoot drives through extra
cover. Mohammed Irfan, too, had a difficult day, not least in the field
where he was tested frequently.
"Ireland are a good side," Misbah, Pakistan's captain, said afterwards.
"We will need to improve in all areas before Sunday's game." There were
still a few hundred tickets left for that game but they may go quickly
when word spreads about this remarkable result.
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