Adelaide: An unpredictable Pakistan will take on giant-killers Ireland in a must-win pool B encounter of the ICC cricket World Cup here on Sunday.
The winner of the final league match of the group stage will move into the quarter-finals while the loser will have to engage in a run-rate battle with West Indies.
A likely win for West Indies against the UAE, in the first game on Sunday, will bring them level with Pakistan and Ireland on six points to set up a close finish for the final-eight spots.
With defending champions India and South Africa already taking up the first two spots in the table, co-hosts Australia and New Zealand have also qualified from pool A alongwith Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Memories of the 2007 World Cup exit will certainly resurface in the Pakistan dressing room as they take on the Irish side nearly eight years after they lost to the minnows at Kingston’s Sabina Park in Jamaica on March 17.
The match not only marked the end of the road for the Inzamam-ul-Haq-led side in the 50-over showpiece event but also for coach Bob Woolmer, who was tragically found dead in his hotel room a day after the loss.
Since then the two sides have played four ODIs against each other with Pakistan winning three and the fourth game ending in a tie.
Pakistan started on the wrong foot by losing to India and then West Indies, but the Misbah-ul-Haq-led side bounced back with three comeback wins against Zimbabwe, UAE and South Africa – the last being the most impressive.
Ireland, on the other hand, started off smoothly against West Indies when they chased down their 305-run target with ease and also got past UAE and Zimbabwe. But they proved no match to India and South Africa.
Incidentally, the Irish batsmen have displayed better numbers than the Pakistanis. (PTI)
