Stokell's maiden fifty powers Ireland to record chase against Pakistan

Ireland Women pulled off their highest chase in T20Is, beating Pakistan by seven wickets in the ongoing tri-series in Dublin on Sunday (May 31).

Rebecca Stokell, playing at three for only the second time, smashed her first T20I fifty, spearheading a 177-run chase that gave Ireland their first points in the series. Their previous best T20I chase (171) was also against the same opposition at the same venue last year.

Wicketkeeper Amy Hunter led the charge early, using her feet well to hit over the in-field, and bringing out the ramp shot in the second over itself. She repeatedly ran down the track, adjusting to the lengths, even as Alana Dalzell was kept quiet at the other end. Put down in the fourth over, Dalzell perished the following over, bringing in Stokell, who started off with a beautiful inside-out four.

Hunter kept going at the other end, using her feet and craftily finding gaps. She reached her fifty in 41 balls, but fell soon after, trying to go over long-off, but not clearing the fielder.

At that point, Ireland needed 82 with a little over eight overs remaining.

Stokell continued unbothered, using her tall frame to get to the pitch without overhitting. Against spinners, she used the width of the crease well. A sweetly-timed four off a sweep got her to her maiden fifty.

Orla Prendergast came in at the perfect time to breathe fire into the chase. She hit Diana Baig for three fours in a row to bring the equation down to eight needed in two overs. Anticlimactically, Prendergast was out lbw in the penultimate over, but Leah Paul, next in, ensured there was no more drama. Deservedly, Stokell hit the winning runs.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan were hit by a late stutter that saw them post 176/6, when a much bigger total was in sight. Openers Feroza and Muneeba Ali attacked Ireland from the get-go in the Powerplay, helped along by some sloppy fielding. Feroza, dropped off the third ball, attacked the shorter boundary, even bringing out lap sweeps to access more areas.

Muneeba aggressively attacked the leg-side, hitting a total of three sixes, including a strike that made players run away from the change room at the boundary. An off-cutter by Dalzell brought her end, trying out another leg-side hit, but getting caught by Stokell at the boundary. After 14 overs, Pakistan were 148/3 and looked set to possibly even cross 200.

But it wasn't to be. A well-set Saira Jabeen fell the following over, leaving Pakistan with two new batters at the crease. Fatima Sana managed a couple of boundaries, but their run-rate climb stalled in the final overs. Sana departed off the first ball of the final over, with only three runs coming from it, and Alia Riaz being run-out trying to get an extra run.

Ireland play 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.