Sarfraz leads Pakistan into World Cup quarter-finals
Wicket-keeper hits maiden ODI ton as Ireland are knocked out by the seven-wicket loss; WI also through.
Sarfraz Ahmed scored his maiden ODI century as Pakistan beat Ireland by seven wickets to reach the quarter-finals of the 2015 cricket World Cup.
Sarfraz put on 120 runs for the opening wicket with Ahmed Shehzad after the former world champions had dismissed Ireland for 237.
| Quarter-finals |
| Mar 18 – South Africa v Sri Lanka
Mar 19 – Bangladesh v India
Mar 20 – Australia v Pakistan
Mar 21 – New Zealand v West Indies
|
Captain William Porterfield won the toss and provided Ireland’s only resistance at the crease, scoring his first World Cup century (107).
Pakistan replied methodically at Adelaide Oval, scoring its first 100 runs without loss as openers Sarfraz Ahmed (101 not out) and Ahmed Shehzad (63) found gaps in the Irish field placements.
Sarfraz’s century was Pakistan’s first of the tournament, leading his team to 241-3 in 46.1 overs.
The win moves Pakistan, which lost its first two matches before winning its next four, into a quarter-final match at the same Adelaide ground on Friday against four-time champion Australia.
Scorecard:
Ireland 237 all out in 50 overs (Porterfield 107, Riaz 3-54)
Pakistan 241-3 in 46.1 overs (Sarfraz 101*,Cusack 1-43)
West Indies seal progress
Earlier, Johnson Charles and Jonathan Carter scored half centuries as the West Indies beat the UAE by six wickets.
With heavy rain expected later on Sunday as Cyclone Pam tracks south from the Pacific islands, West Indies had to reach their victory target quickly and made 176 for four in 30.3 overs.
![Captain Jason Holder starred with the ball, picking up four UAE wickets [Getty Images]](/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/a4cea62446d143cdbaf456e119e8e665_18.jpeg?quality=80)
Charles hit eight boundaries and two sixes in his first 50 runs, which came off 34 balls, before he was dismissed for 55 trying to up the tempo even further.
West Indies captain Jason Holder and his new ball partner Jerome Taylor had earlier laid the platform for the victory as they ripped through UAE’s batting lineup.
Holder took four wickets, while Taylor chipped in with two of his three in a spell in which they reduced UAE to 46-6 before Amjad Javed and Nasir Aziz combined for a 107-run partnership that gave their score some credibility.
Scorecard:
UAE 175 all out in 47.4 overs (Aziz 60, Holder 4-27)
West Indies 176-4 in 30.3 overs (Charles 55, Javed 2-29)