Younus Khan’s message to his players before this final World Twenty20 Super Eight game against Ireland was simple: “Go out and crush them”.

The memory of Ireland’s stunning victory in the 2007 World Cup campaign in the West Indies obviously still hurts the proud Pakistan captain and he duly got his revenge with a 39 runs victory which was rarely in doubt. Younus was one of only four survivors from the St Patrick’s Day defeat but it was another one, with an Irish past, that proved key to the result. Kamran Akmal played two seasons for Limavady in 2002-03 and his 57 runs, from 51 balls, laid the platform for Pakistan’s 159 for five.

Ireland, who finally gave Paul Stirling a game - he came in for Andre Botha - made a confident start to the reply but from 87 for two at the start of the 13th over, the wheels came off and they lost the next seven for 24.

Off spinner Saeed Ajmal started the collapse and Umer Gul, fresh from the best ever WorldT20 figures of five for six, against New Zealand on Saturday, finished it although he did not have to do anything but bowl straight, the Ireland batsman repeatedly giving themselves room to play him through the offside. When two of them missed Gul hit with deadly accuracy. The sign s of improvement are still there, however, and Kyle McCallan and Boyd Ranki n not only ensured Ireland batted out the overs but they took the total past their scores against both India and New Zealand. William Porterfield finished the tournament with a flourish, reaching 40 yesterday from 36 balls and Stirling announced his arrival with one of the shots of the day, a crashing cover drive on his way to 17 off 16 balls. The 18 year old has failed to reach double figures only once in his last 11 internationals.

Ireland’s biggest problem on the day was their inability to score boundaries. There were only six, 11 less than Pakistan, in the whole innings - the worst of the tournament - and only one in the last nine overs. Even Kevin O’Brien, despite a 30-ball stay, could not hit a maximum and had only two fours. Niall O’Brien, who passed a fitness test on his injured ankle was the first to go for seven and he still finished fourth top scorer. The stand-out bowling of the day, however, was by an Ireland player. Boyd Rankin got bounce and movement in a hostile four overs which consistently had the Pakistan batsmen, literally and metaphorically, on the back foot. He received good support from Kyle McCallan who claimed the vital wicket of Shahid Afridi with his third ball, just as the former Ireland professional was getting into his stride, having hit 24 from 13 balls.

Trent Johnston, however, started badly and Akmal and opening partner Shahzaib Hassan helped themselves to 20 off his second over. Even with just four runs and the wicket of Akmal in his last over, he still ended with the most expensive analysis (1-45) by an Ireland bowler in T20 internationals. Rankin’s (0-11) was the most economical. Regan West and Alex Cusack each took a wicket but although the final performance was not good enough to bring that much-wanted Super Eight victory, Ireland are now well past the stage where any Full Member will ever take them for granted again.

The only difference in the end was Malinga and the spin twins of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis. In their 12 overs they took five for 54. It needed that extra class to win the day.

Jon Coates reports

A clatter of broken stumps at The Oval brought a messy conclusion to Ireland's worthy World Twenty20 efforts. After the tension of Sunday's gripping encounter with Sri Lanka, reality revisited Ireland's campaign as a ruthless Pakistan picked off targets to seal a 39-run win and passage into the semi-finals. The bowlers had put in another tremendous shift to restrict their final Super Eight foes to 159 for five on a pitch made in cricket heaven, but the Irish reply began to unravel as soon as Niall O'Brien departed in the third over. For all the arsenal at Pakistan's disposal, Ireland shouldn't have signed off as tamely as they did, crumpling from 87-2 to 120-9 as bats were flung at fresh air.

Captain William Porterfield again fulfilled his duties as the anchor, stroking 40 off 36 balls as he and 18-year-old Paul Stirling, making his big-tournament debut, progressed at six-an-over. Stirling drove his first ball for an eye-catching four but, like many team elders, struggled to conjure up the improvisation that wins Twenty20 games. Pakistan clinically exposed their flaws with craft and pace.

There was still a sniff of a contest at the 13-over mark but Kevin O'Brien and John Mooney froze as Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul sent through dot after dot, and the asking rate soared into the high teens. As O'Brien jnr perished, confounded by Ajmal's off-spin, Pakistan might as well have been shying at coconuts as they nailed wicket after wicket, to the relief of a nation demanding atonement for a certain World Cup result in 2007. By the final over, Boyd Rankin and Kyle McCallan were left shadow boxing with an opponent who had left the ring.

Another adventure behind them, Ireland head their separate ways this morning having lost three games out of five by convincing margins.

But their very presence in the Super Eights was a triumph and their performance against Sri Lanka at Lord's a concrete endorsement for inclusion in the ICC's regular touring programme. In Twenty20 terms, Porterfield believes his unit is halfway to fulfilling its potential. 'We have shown, and reinforced to ourselves, that we can compete with the ball and in the field to keep sides to respectable totals,' he said. 'With the bat, we have learnt a lot of things from watching other teams and we've got to make a step up in class by the time of the next T20 qualifiers in October and, hopefully, the tournament itself next year.'

For all the blood-letting that would come, plenty of encouragement could be scooped off the Oval turf between innings. Particularly pleasing for Porterfield was a career-defining bowling spell by his fellow north-westerner, Boyd Rankin. Few could have expected Rankin to play the role of cost-cutter, keeping Pakistan's dashing batsmen in check. But this was a day when pace was an asset rather than a liability. Reaching speeds of 86mph, the Warwickshire giant bowled short and straight and caused discomfort for Kamran Akmal, once of Limavady, throughout his anchor innings of 54.

Equally unexpected was the sight of Trent Johnston being battered from pillar to post. While Rankin's four-over return equalled the best of the tournament, Johnston's was the worst ever by an Irishman in this format. Metronomic at Lord's 24 hours before, the ex-captain lost control of his out-swing and his second over cost 20 runs as each opener helped himself to a big six. His replacement by Alex Cusack immediately paid off as the Clontarf man took his eighth wicket in eight days – a haul that would be matched by Kyle McCallan by the time the day was out. Pakistan, however, continued to motor along even after McCallan deceived Shahid Afridi with a slower ball that he chipped to John Mooney. Regan West absorbed some punishment but persisted with his flight, and it paid off when Younus Khan got himself in a tangle. Ireland's purple patch did not end with the obligatory five-over death smash. A McCallan full toss disappeared high into the stands but he got his revenge when Misbah-ul-Haq sliced a sweep and Niall O'Brien took a tumbling catch.

By then Johnston had redeemed himself with an over that cost four runs and ended the Akmal vigil, and Rankin delivered an exemplary 19th before Abdur Razzaq made hay off Cusack. Thirty runs off the last four overs, and Pakistan became the latest luminaries to doff their caps to a new and worthy force on the Twenty20 scene.

Ian Callender (Belfast Telegraph) and Jon Coates (Irish Daily Mail)