DUBLIN, May 26: Kamran Akmal and tailender Wahab Riaz made a late recovery to help Pakistan beat Ireland by two wickets at Clontarf on Sunday to win the two-match One-day International series.

Kamran scored 81 off 85 balls and Wahab plundered four sixes and four fours in an unbeaten 47 off 35 balls to help Pakistan score 230-8 in 48.4 overs.

The 93-run stand for the eighth wicket off 62 balls overshadowed Ireland top-order batsman Ed Joyce’s unbeaten 116 off 132 balls, which steered Ireland to 229-9.

Pakistan’s chase was in tatters at 133-7 in the 37th over before Kamran and Wahab launched a counterattack against the inexperienced Ireland bowlers.

Earlier, Joyce scored his first ODI hundred with conditions much improved on the cold and wet weather the teams experienced in the thrilling tie on Thursday.

Joyce came to the middle in the first over after Paul Stirling, the Ireland century-maker in the tied meeting between the sides on Thursday, was caught off a mistimed pull at mid-wicket for a duck and the Sussex captain stayed for the remainder of the innings, hitting 12 fours and a six.

He gave one chance, on 61, in the first over of the powerplay, to Mohammad Hafeez at backward point, a juggling effort which should have been held, and he and Kevin O’Brien made Pakistan pay scoring 53 in the next five overs.

O’Brien’s innings was cut short on 38 by Abdur Rehman, one of three changes to the Pakistan team from the first game.

Out went the world’s leading one-day bowler Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan and Ehsan Adil, with Wahab, Asad Ali and Rehman coming in.

Asad Ali made an immediate impression when he had Ireland captain William Porterfield caught behind in his second over for one and Wahab also got among the wickets when Niall O’Brien also gave a catch to wicket-keeper Kamran for 29.

Rehman was the pick of the bowlers with four for 48 from his 10 overs ripping through the middle order of Gary Wilson, Kevin O’Brien, Trent Johnston and Alex Cusack in devastating fashion.—Agencies

Scoreboard

IIRELAND: W.T.S. Porterfield c Kamran b Asad Ali    1 P.R. Stirling c Asad Shafiq b Junaid    0 E.C. Joyce not out    116 N.J. O’Brien c Kamran b Wahab    29 G.C. Wilson c Hafeez b Rehman    5 K.J. O’Brien c Nasir b Rehman    38 J.N.K. Shannon b Hafeez    2 D.T. Johnston lbw b Rehman    1 A.R. Cusack c Asad Shafiq b Rehman    0 T.J. Murtagh c Misbah b Junaid    8 G.H. Dockrell not out    3 EXTRAS (LB-7, W-17, NB-2)    26 TOTAL (for nine wkts, 50 overs)    229 FALL OF WKTS: 1-2, 2-4, 3-69, 4-84, 5-178, 6-186, 7-188, 8-198, 9-222. BOWLING: Junaid Khan 9-0-59-2 (1nb, 2w); Asad Ali 10-4-26-1; Wahab Riaz 7-0-45-1 (1nb, 5w); Mohammad Hafeez 10-0-33-1 (2w); Abdur Rehman 10-1-48-4 (1w); Shoaib Malik 4-1-15-0-2 (2w). PAKISTAN: Imran Farhat c K.J. O’Brien b Johnston    5 Nasir Jamshed lbw b Murtagh    0 Mohammad Hafeez c Wilson b Murtagh    2 Asad Shafiq c K.J. O’Brien b Johnston    4 Misbah-ul-Haq c and b Cusack    24 Shoaib Malik lbw b Dockrell    43 Kamran Akmal c Porterfield b K.J. O’Brien    81 Abdur Rehman c K.J. O’Brien    7 Wahab Riaz not out    47 Junaid Khan not out    2 EXTRAS (B-1, LB-5, W-9)    15 TOTAL (for eight wkts, 48.4 overs)    230 FALL OF WKTS: 1-8, 2-10, 3-13, 4-17, 5-60, 6-112, 7-133, 8-226. DID NOT BAT: Asad Ali. BOWLING: Murtagh 10-2-54-2 (1w); Johnston 9.4-0-35-2; K.J. O’Brien 8-0-39-1 (4w); Cusack 9-0-48-2 (3w); Dockrell 10-1-32-1; Stirling 2-0-16-0. RESULT: Pakistan won by two wickets to win two-match series 1-0. UMPIRES: R.P. Smith (Ireland) and I.J. Gould (England). MATCH REFEREE: J.J. Crowe (New Zealand). MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Kamran Akmal. MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Kevin O’Brien. FIRST MATCH: Dublin, match tied.