Ireland’s Curtis Campher hits the winning run during the first T20 international match between Ireland and Pakistan at Castle Avenue Cricket Ground, Dublin, Ireland, on May 10, 2024
| Photo Credit: AP

Curtis Campher ran a leg bye off the penultimate ball for Ireland to stun Pakistan by five wickets in a Twenty20 on May 10.

In their first T20 matchup since 2009, and just a month out from meeting again in the T20 World Cup, the Irish scored 183-5 in reply to Pakistan’s 182-6.

Ireland set up its first T20 win over Pakistan by bowling well and fielding brilliantly. The home side engineered two run outs, and Campher and Barry McCarthy made two brilliant catches in the deep.

Fast bowler Craig Young conceded only 27 runs and dug out Babar Azam and Azam Khan in the same over as Pakistan got crucially bogged down in the middle overs.

Babar’s 43-ball 57 and opener Saim Ayub’s 29-ball 45 launched the visitors and Iftikhar Ahmed gave them a boost at the death with an unbeaten 37, including 17 in the last over.

But Ireland, coming off a 2-1 series loss to Afghanistan, was undeterred.

“We were happy to chase 180,” captain Paul Stirling said.

Opener Andy Balbirnie anchored the Irish with 77 off 55 balls including 10 boundaries.

Balbirnie and Harry Tector, 36 runs, took Ireland past 100. When Balbirnie was bowled by a Shaheen Shah Afridi full toss in the 19th over, Ireland needed 16 more runs from eight balls.

Campher knocked them off with 15 from seven balls.

The second of their three T20s is on Sunday.

Ireland cricket team with the trophy after defeating Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on March, 1, 2024. Photo: X/@cricketireland

Ireland finally won their first Test match on March 1 when they defeated Afghanistan by six wickets in Abu Dhabi, ending a streak of seven successive losses.

Captain Andy Balbirnie led from the front with an undefeated 58 as Ireland reached their modest target of 111 in the final session of the third day.

Ireland had played their first Test back in 2018 when they were defeated by Pakistan.

Afghanistan resumed their second innings Friday on 134-3 before they were dismissed for 218.

Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi top scored with 55 while Rahmanullah Gurbaz, making his Test debut, hit 46.

Mark Adair picked up three wickets to finish with eight for the match. Craig Young and Barry McCarthy also claimed three apiece.

Gurbaz, better known for his flamboyant and explosive shot-making in limited overs cricket, clubbed the only two sixes of the innings.

Chasing just 111 for victory, Ireland slumped to 13-3 with 18-year-old fast bowler Naveed Zadran clean-bowling opener Peter Moor and Curtis Campher, both without scoring.

Balbirnie denied the teenager a hat-trick but Harry Tector was soon caught behind by Gurbaz off Nijat Masood for two.

Balbirnie and Paul Stirling, who both played in Ireland’s debut Test in 2018, briefly steadied dressing room nerves.

Stirling was then caught in the slips off left-arm spinner Zia-ur-Rehman for 14 as Ireland slipped to 39-4 just after tea.

However, Balbirnie moved watchfully to his fourth Test half-century, which came from 86 balls, ably supported by Lorcan Tucker (27 not out) in a crucial winning partnership of 72.

The two teams will now play three one-day internationals and three T20 games as part of their multi-format series.