Ireland Women scripted their most successful chase in T20 internationals, outplaying Pakistan by seven wickets in the ongoing tri-series in Dublin on Sunday, May 31. Chasing 177, Rebecca Stokell smashed her first T20I half-century and helped power an attack that earned Ireland their opening points of the tournament. The feat also bettered Ireland’s previous best T20I chase of 171, which they had achieved against the same opponents at the same ground last year.
Key takeaways
- Ireland Women chased down 177 to register their biggest successful T20I chase, winning by seven wickets on May 31.
- Rebecca Stokell struck 60* and went past her maiden T20I fifty to steer the run chase.
- Amy Hunter set the tempo early, reaching 56 after steady acceleration through the middle overs.
- Pakistan finished on 176/6 after a late slowdown, with Muneeba Ali contributing 65 and Saira Jabeen 36.
- Alia Riaz’s run-out in the final over capped Pakistan’s collapse in their last set of six.
Stokell and Hunter deliver Ireland’s chase
Rebecca Stokell, featuring at number three for only the second time in her T20I career, made an immediate impact by anchoring the chase once the early momentum started to build. Amy Hunter took control from the outset, using her feet to clear the in-field and even bringing out the ramp shot as early as the second over. She kept finding ways to adjust to the ball’s length, repeatedly moving down the pitch while Alana Dalzell was kept relatively quiet at the other end.
Dalzell eventually struck trouble in the fourth over, and the next over brought her dismissal. Stokell walked in and began with a crisp inside-out boundary, giving Ireland a platform to keep the scoring rate under control. Hunter continued to press, mixing movement and timing to locate gaps and keep the chase moving.
Hunter reached her fifty in 41 balls, but her innings ended soon after when she attempted to clear long-off with a big hit that failed to carry over the fielder. At that stage, Ireland still needed 82 runs with a little over eight overs left.
Stokell then batted with measured confidence, using her height to meet the ball on the pitch without swinging too wildly. When spinners came into play, she used the width of the crease effectively, rotating strike and finding openings rather than forcing the issue.
A well-timed sweep followed by a four brought Stokell to her maiden T20I fifty. With the required rate steadily dropping, Orla Prendergast arrived at exactly the right time to add urgency. She struck Diana Baig for three fours in a row, cutting the target down to eight needed from the final two overs.
The chase still carried a small edge of tension, but Prendergast was dismissed lbw in the penultimate over. Leah Paul, promoted next, ensured there was no further drama, and Stokell finished things off in style by hitting the winning runs.
Pakistan post 176/6 after powerplay aggression
Opting to bat first, Pakistan had looked set for a larger total, but a late stutter prevented them from adding enough in the final overs. In the Powerplay, openers Feroza and Muneeba Ali attacked Ireland immediately, assisted by some untidy moments in the field.
Feroza was dropped early, and she made the most of the reprieve by attacking the shorter boundary. She also used lap sweeps to open up scoring options and keep the pressure on the Irish bowlers. Muneeba Ali took an even more aggressive route, targeting the leg side and finishing with three sixes, including one that sent players scrambling away from the boundary rope toward the dressing area.
Dalzell struck back by removing Feroza with an off-cutter. The batter had tried another leg-side shot and ended up caught by Stokell at the boundary.
By the time 14 overs had been completed, Pakistan were 148/3 and appeared capable of pushing the score toward 200. However, the innings changed direction when Saira Jabeen fell in the next over, bringing two new batters to the crease and tightening Pakistan’s ability to accelerate cleanly.
Fatima Sana managed a couple of boundaries, but the run rate continued to plateau in the closing overs. Sana departed on the first ball of the final over, and Alia Riaz was then run out while trying to steal an additional run, leaving Pakistan with only three runs from that last set of six.
Ireland Women will face West Indies next on Monday, June 1.
Brief scores: Pakistan Women 176/6 in 20 overs (Muneeba Ali 65, Saira Jabeen 36; Ava Canning 2-35, Arlene Kelly 1-25) lost to Ireland Women 177/3 in 19.1 overs (Rebecca Stokell 60*, Amy Hunter 56; Ayesha Zafar 2-24, Rameen Shamim 1-24) by seven wickets.
