For all practical purposes, Pakistan’s match against Ireland, scheduled for Sunday in Lauderhill, Florida, is insignificant. But no matter how bleak the two teams will be, there will be pride to save, if not just to play for.

They had recently met for a three-match series in which Ireland surprised the visiting Pakistan side. That series served as reasonable preparation for this tournament, but it appears that the two sides’ hopes were dashed before they could come face to face.

Ireland were not the favorites to qualify for the next round of this World Cup anyway, but after losing to Canada and missing a chance to beat the USA, they are staring at the possibility of ending their World Cup campaign on a scoreless note to end. .

For Pakistan, a shock defeat to the US and a loss to India, not to mention a winning position, were disappointing enough. The eventual early exit from the tournament has made matters worse, and if anything could drag them down even further, it would be another loss for Ireland on the way out. If there was a mathematical possibility that they would qualify for the Super 8s, it was washed out by rain at the same venue on Friday morning.

While for Ireland, Sunday’s clash is an opportunity not to return winless, for Pakistan it is an attempt to prevent a major ‘operation’ that PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi wants to carry out upon returning home. Yes, there is pride to play for. And there’s a little bit more.

When: Sunday, June 15, 10:30 AM (local)/ 8:00 PM (IST)

Where: Pakistan vs Ireland, Match 36, Lauderhill, Florida

What to expect: It is expected to be cloudy and the temperature will fluctuate around 30 degrees Celsius. However, it remains to be seen what the condition of the outfield is expected to be after Saturday’s rain showers. Historically, the spinners have flourished more than the pacers at the venue.

Head to head: Pakistan 3 – 1 Ireland. The only time the two teams had faced each other in a T20 World Cup (in 2009), Pakistan had won by 39 runs. However, recently Ireland defeated them once in a three-match T20I series

Team watch

Pakistan: With spin having historically played a key role at the venue, Pakistan could be tempted to give Abrar Ahmad a chance in the last encounter.

Tactics and matchups: Apart from George Dockrell, most Irish hitters have struggled against wrist spinners. Shadab Khan, who has been underused in this World Cup so far, could play a bigger role against Ireland.

Likely XI: Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmad/Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah/Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmad

Ireland: Ben White could be brought back for the final game in lieu of a seam.

Tactics and Matchups: Craig Young has troubled Babar Azam in the recent past after conceding just 23 runs in 21 balls and dismissing him twice. If he finds a place in the XI, he could be used against the Pakistan skipper.

Probable XI: Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little, Ben White

Did you know?

• Irish batters have collectively registered a whopping 175 single-digit scores (excluding not-outs) in 54 T20Is since January 2022, surpassed only by Rwanda (342), Uganda (217) and Tanzania (191), or fourth out of 98 teams. .

• Lauderhill has hosted just six T20s since 2021, with the teams batting first four times and chasing the team twice. Of the six, only one was a night game.

What they said:

You get here and you think, oh, we’re in New York, we’re in Florida, it’s going to be sunshine, it’s going to be great. But Newark was pretty tough. I guess the traveling and stuff wasn’t ideal. It was clear that the place we were staying in relation to the city was good for us if you want to explore or be a bit of a tourist. But not seeing the New York ground before the first match is clearly not ideal. Not ideal, but then again, we’re moving, we’re used to doing things right away and just getting on with it. Unfortunately the results were not to our liking, but I feel we are better prepared to deliver two strong performances here in Florida – Mark AdairIreland, pacer, ahead of the failed match against the USA

Obviously you make mistakes and you see those mistakes, and then obviously we try to reduce the mistakes that we’ve made. We have T20 players and we believe in ourselves. We will try to play good cricket in future – Haris RaufPakistani pacer, after the win against Canada