Ireland skipper Paul Stirling won the toss and elected to bowl against Pakistan in the first of the three-T20I series between the two teams in Dublin on Friday. (More Cricket News)
Both sides have fielded their near-full strength sides for the opening game.
Irish pacer Joshua Little could not join the squad as he is engaged in the Indian Premier League with the Gujarat Titans while Pakistan quick Mohammad Amir was left out after his delayed arrival due to visa issues.
Playing XI
Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young, Benjamin White
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi
This is Pakistan's first T20 game against Ireland since 2009.
Both teams are looking at these games as a preparation series ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 which begins June 1. For the Babar Azam-led side, this series may decide the fate of players on whether they will be able to board the flight to USA and the West Indies or not. Pakistan Cricket Board has not yet publically announced its squad for the T20 World Cup and is looking at this series to finalise on their team.
Where to watch Pakistan Vs Ireland 1st T20 match?
In India, the series will not be telecasted on any TV channel, but cricket fans can watch all the action via livestream. The Pakistan vs Ireland live streaming will be available on Fancode app.
The squads for both the teams for the series are here:
Ireland: Paul Stirling (captain), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan
