Ireland cricketer makes history in final ball with against-all-odds shot

Jane Maguire, that is incredible!

Ireland’s Jane Maguire made history on Friday, hitting a six off the final ball to secure a dramatic T20 victory over Pakistan.

With Ireland needing four off the final ball to win the match and the series with Pakistan, Maguire not only hit her first ever international six for the most unlikely of victories, but also became the first player in T20 international history to hit a six off her first ball on the final ball of a run chase.

The victory means Ireland take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with Pakistan, and means they have won their last nine short-form matches in a run dating back to April.

Maguire said after the match: “I won’t lie, I wasn’t too happy to go out there with one ball left, four runs to win. And I went out, and Reb [Rebecca Stokell, team-mate] was just like: 'Go strength, hit straight'. That was in my head.

“I was actually quite lucky as it was a full toss.

“I’ve never hit a six in an international game, not at all, so it’s pretty exciting. I saw it go, and I was like ‘Jeez I never thought I could do that!'”

Ireland finish off the series with Pakistan in Dublin on Sunday, before continuing their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifiers against Germany, Netherlands and Italy later in August.

Ireland then tour South Africa in December.