Costly miss

That miss proved costly, with Pakistan piling on 50 runs in the next 10 overs before Balbirnie made amends, helping to run out Babar on 59.

Though Pakistan were 20 runs from victory at that stage Ireland refused to lie down, with Stuart Thompson getting skipper Sarfraz Ahmed out lbw on eight runs, but Imam kept his head amid all the chaos, and struck the winning runs.