Pakistan faced setbacks when Azam Khan and Shadab Khan departed without scoring, but Iftikhar’s impactful cameo of 37* runs off just 15 deliveries steered the innings. His contribution included three boundaries and three towering sixes, guiding Pakistan to a competitive total of 182/6.
In reply, Pakistan fell short in defending the target, resulting in Ireland clinching their inaugural T20I victory over the Asian giants with a five-wicket win.
“When I came, runs were needed and I played my natural game. The way our team is, we didn’t perform to that level. We lacked in fielding, we dropped a catch and gave away a couple of boundaries as well. This is part of the game and we are hopeful that we will make a comeback in the series with two games remaining,” Iftikhar said in a video posted by Pakistan Cricket on X.
“With the quality our team has, we can make a comeback against Ireland. We will try to win our next series against England and take confidence into the upcoming T20 World Cup,” he concluded.
Pakistan will look to keep the series alive when they face Ireland in the second T20I on Sunday at the Clontarf Cricket Club.
