Ireland tour: Pakistan win first ODI

BELFAST: Pakistan beat Ireland in the first of the two ODI series in Belfast on Saturday.

Pakistan played a clinical innings as they chased down a pitiful total of 96 set by Ireland in its allotted 36 overs, after rain delayed play.

Score summary:

Ireland:

96 in 36 overs (D/L method) (Junaid Khan 4-12, Saeed Ajmal 3-7)

Pakistan:

97-3 in 27.3 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 52; A Cusack 3-12)

Pakistan play its second match on May 30, Monday.

Earlier in the day, Pakistan won the toss and decided to field in the first one-day international with Ireland at Stormont here on Saturday.

Rain had delayed the start of the first of a two-match series in what is also Ireland's first game since the World Cup, where they beat England and Pakistan reached the semi-finals.

The match has been shortened to 38 overs a side because of the rain.

Pakistan squad

Misbah-ul-Haq*, Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman†, Saeed Ajmal, Tanvir Ahmed, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Younis Khan, Abdur Rehman, Azhar Ali, Wahab Riaz, Hammad Azam

Ireland squad

PR Stirling, AR Cusack, DT Johnston, NG Jones, EC Joyce, JF Mooney, KJ O'Brien, WB Rankin, WTS Porterfield*, AR White, GC Wilson†, A van der Merwe, NJ McDonnell, AD Poynter