Pakistan assistant coach Azhar Mahmood has stressed that they will not underestimate the talent of Ireland in the three-match T20I series.
The Men in Green will kick off the Europe tour with the first T20I on Friday. The remaining two matches will also take place at Castle Avenue on Sunday and Tuesday, before the team heads to Headingley, Leeds, on Wednesday for a series of four T20Is against England.
In a video released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Azhar shed light on the preparations of Babar Azam and Co.
"Our preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 began with the home series against New Zealand and now it’s all about putting the final touches on those preparations," he said.
"We have clarity on our game plans, strategies and combinations. It’s about bringing everything together before we arrive in the United States," he added.
“We’ve only played Ireland once, so they will be a relatively new opponent for us. They are aware of their home conditions and we cannot underestimate them," he maintained.
Meanwhile, Azhar emphasised the importance of playing the first six overs and the middle phase of the innings very well.
"We need to play powerplay well and the batters have practiced it. We have prepared for middle overs, now its time to execute this preparation," he added.
It must be noted that fast bowler Mohammad Amir will miss the first T20I due to delays in the issuance of his visa. He is expected to join the side on Friday.
Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Graham Hume, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan
May 10: First T20I at Clontarf
May 12: Second T20I at Clontarf
May 14: Third T20I at Clontarf