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Afghanistan tour of Ireland 2018 [Afghanistan win T20Is 2-0, ODIs 2-1]

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hadi123

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Afghanistan secured progression to next year's World Cup with a five-wicket victory over Ireland in Harare, a result which the home side's head coach, Graham Ford, believes will give his players 'extra added incentive' ahead of the clash.

The teams have developed something of a rivalry since being instated as ICC's newest Full Members, and matches between the two have produced some enthralling battles.

The tourists are marginal favourites going into the T20I series having won the last five 20-over bout between the two sides, but Ireland have an opportunity to even the scales in the three matches on home soil, followed by three ODIs.

The teams have not met in T20Is since March 2017 and since then Afghanistan have leapfrogged Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to No.8 in the MRF Tyres rankings, while Ireland are in 17th place.

With a bowling attack that boasts household names such as Rashid Khan, the MRF Tyres No.1 ranked bowler in this format, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, another excellent young spinner who has made headlines in the IPL, the home batsmen will have their work cut out. Afghanistan also come into this tour having thumped Bangladesh 3-0 in their most recent T20I series.

Gary Wilson took the captaincy from William Porterfield in June, and he will be thankful for the return of fast bowler Boyd Rankin after injury. Youngster Joshua Little, who is just 18, and 20-year old uncapped David Delany have both made the squad, but the spine of the team is still held up by the likes of Porterfield and the O'Brien brothers, who all have had extensive international careers.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/821598
 
Afghanistan @ Ireland (August 2018)

3 T20s 8/20, 8/22, 8/24.
3 ODIs 8/27, 8/29, 8/31.

The first T20 is on going right now.

Ire won the toss and elected to field. Match reduced to 18 overs a contest. Afghanistan cruising along with 130/2 after 10 overs.
 
Hazratullah Zazai: a very strong prospect for Afgans. Has a decent 120 SR in 20 over games but his SR goes up to 132 in List A matches. In today's match, he blasted out of the gates and made an excellent 74 of 33 balls. Ireland is on their backfoot.
15.2 overs - 151/3.
 
In pace of 8 balls the match has turned on its head.

1 W 1 W . 1 . W .

three wickets in two runs. Afghans need to be careful and refocus.
 
Another down after a 6. Scorecard reads 159/6 after 17. Last over of the innings left.
 
Last 3 overs Afghans scored 10 runs lost 5 wickets. Not a finish the would have liked. Time for Ireland to bat. 161 is the target in 18 overs. Still a very good total. This game should go to the wire.
 
BREADY – The Ireland Men’s cricket team have fallen 16 runs short in the first of three T20Is against Afghanistan despite bowling heroics led by 20-year old Josh Little.

After misty but persistent rain delayed the start to play, Ireland’s captain Gary Wilson won the toss and elected to bowl first on what was described as looking like a two-paced wicket.

From the outset the 20-year old Afghanistan opener Hazratullah Zazai, in his second T20I, took to the Irish attack with intent. He blasted the second fastest half-century in T20Is, bringing up his fifty with a six off just 22 balls. Zazai went on to make 74 runs (33 balls; 8 x fours, 6 x sixes) before a beautiful reflex catch down the leg side by Wilson off Simi Singh ended his innings.

The Afghan skipper Asghar Afghan then joined Mohammad Shahzad and the pair continued the assault putting on 32 runs from 3.4 overs.

Staring down the barrel of a large total to chase, the Ireland bowlers then grabbed the initiative, sparked by a direct hit run out of Shahzad by sharp fielding by Singh. The bowling unit proceeded to take 5-41 off the final 7 overs. The turnaround was led by 20-year old left arm pace bowler Josh Little who claimed his first wickets in his T20I career – and ended with a commendable 2-20 from four overs. After bearing the brunt of the early attack, Tyrone Kane came back in the final overs and grabbed two late wickets to finish with 2-50.

Needing 161 from 18 overs for victory, Ireland lost the early wickets of Stuart Thompson and William Porterfield, but opener Paul Stirling looked in bullish form. Carrying on his recent fine form for Middlesex, Stirling moved to 27 with one four and two sixes, however after connecting well with a pull shot to deep square leg he was freakishly caught by a spectacular one-handed effort on the boundary by Aftab Alam.

Captain Wilson played a lone hand in the middle order, taking 34 runs from 23 balls, while George Dockrell and Simi Singh chimed in with cameo innings’ towards the end, but Afghanistan’s bowlers bowled claimed important wickets at key moments and Ireland finished 16 runs short of the target.

Speaking after the match, Gary Wilson said:

“We can actually take a lot of confidence, I thought we played pretty well, particularly the way we came back with the ball. Josh Little bowled really well, and that’s why we brought him in with the left arm pace - he will be one for the next few years.”

“As for Zazai, that was his second game, we didn’t know much about him. He seemed to hit to all parts. But we came back really well – after the start they got, that was a great positive. I thought the boys showed great character.”

When asked about Stirling’s dismissal from the spectacular catch by Alam, Wilson said:

“Yes, I must thank John Mooney [former Irish international and current Afghanistan fielding coach] for that – they obviously fielded pretty well there. Paul was in and going well and then something like that happens. I guess that is why people come to see Twenty20 cricket, to see action like that.”

Ireland and Afghanistan will return to Bready on Wednesday for the second of three T20Is in the current series.


SUMMARY SCORECARD

Afghanistan 160-7 (18 overs; H Zazai 74, A Afghan 31; J Little 2-20, T Kane 2-50)
Ireland 144-9 (18 overs; G Wilson 34, P Stirling 27; R Khan 3-35)

Afghanistan won by 16 runs
 
Afghanistan will be eager to seal the Twenty20 International series against Ireland after having won the rain-affected first match.

Overview

Ireland v Afghanistan

Bready, Derry

2nd T20I

Wednesday, 22 August, 16:00 Local (16:00 BST)

Following their 16-run win in the opening T20I at Bready Cricket Club, Afghanistan are bound to be high on confidence when they face the hosts in the second of the three T20Is on Wednesday, 22 August at the same venue.

Twenty-year-old opening bat Hazratullah Zazai's 33-ball 74 made the real difference for the visitors, his runs powering them to a competitive total of 160/7 in 18 overs. His effort was later well complemented by Afghanistan's bowlers as Ireland were restricted to 144/9.

However, batting could be a concern for Afghanistan. Apart from Zazai, only opener Mohammad Shahzad (29) and captain Asghar Afghan (31) scored in double-digits, while the rest of the line-up crumbled against Ireland's pacers.

The top three batsmen accounted for almost 84 per cent of the team's runs, while the six other batsmen who got a hit scored just 16 runs from 25 balls.

Afghanistan's real strength is in their bowling. They will pin their hopes on the pace duo of Aftab Alam and Fareed Ahmad, while Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will once again have to take up the responsibility of being the ace spinners, as they did in the first game, sharing five wickets between them.

Meanwhile, Ireland will look to correct their mistakes from the first match. They too need improvement in their batting, especially from the likes of Stuart Thompson, William Porterfield and Kevin O'Brien, who all fell for single-digit scores. Paul Stirling did impress in the first game before being caught by a stunner in the deep, and his form is an encouraging sign for Ireland.

The hosts will also need their captain Gary Wilson, who top-scored with 34 runs, to take up the responsibility in the middle-order again along with support from Simi Singh and George Dockrell.

In the bowling front, Tyrone Kane turned out to be the most expensive of the lot, giving away 50 runs from his four overs, while Joshua Little was their star bowler, finishing with 2/20. Ireland will hope for a better collective show on that front as well.

Key players

Simi Singh (Ireland): Singh showed off his all-round qualities in the first match. The off-spinner, after finishing with figures of 1/27 from three overs, went on to score 20 runs off 17 balls.

Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan): The opener brought up his maiden half-century in his second T20I, scoring a splendid 74. His 33-ball knock was studded with eight fours and six sixes.

Conditions

Light showers are once again expected to interrupt the play and the temperature might drop to 10°C on a pitch likely to be good for stroke-players.

Squad

Ireland: Gary Wilson (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, David Delany, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson

Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad, Usman Ghani, Hazratullah Zazai, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Asghar Afghan (c), Samiullah Shenwari, Mirwais Ashraf, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Aftab Alam, Farid Malik

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/827814
 
BREADY – The Ireland Men’s cricket team have lost its seventh straight T20I match against Afghanistan by being dismissed for 79, falling 81 runs short of the target in the second T20I of the series against Afghanistan today. Heavy rain overnight threatened to delay the start of play, but ground staff worked well drying the outfield and play was underway on time.

Afghanistan’s captain Asghar Afghan won the toss and chose to bat first – a decision that looked to backfire early with Ireland’s bowlers removing Mohammad Shahzad and Samiullah Shenwari both for one, leaving Afghanistan at 8-2.

However, the momentum turned when the 20-year old Afghan opener Hazratullah Zazai, who scored 74 runs off 33 balls in the last match, was joined by his captain and the pair put on 116 runs in 96 balls. Zazai again looked to be the aggressor smashing six fours and seven sixes in an innings of 82 runs from 54 balls.

Just when the Afghans looked to be threatening a score around 200, Ireland’s bowlers struck back claiming both Zazai and Asghar in consecutive balls. Like the first match, wickets tumbled regularly in the latter overs which restricted the run rate. Ireland’s bowling unit took 5-36 in the last four overs and Afghanistan ended on 160-8 - the same total they made in the first match.

For Ireland, Peter Chase claimed 3-35, while local star Boyd Rankin – playing at Bready for the first time at any level of the game – took a miserly 2-14 from his four overs.

Needing 161 for victory, Ireland lost crucial early wickets, including talisman Paul Stirling for 2 and the in-form Andrew Balbirnie for a duck.

At 9-3, captain Gary Wilson and former T20I captain William Porterfield restored some batting pride with a 37-run partnership in just over five overs, however after Porterfield went for 33 (23 balls; 2 x fours, 2 x sixes) the Irish batting fell apart. Wilson tried once more to play the anchor role, but when he was dismissed for 22 the end was in sight.

Rashid Khan, the number one bowler in world T20I cricket, once again was used as a weapon in the latter overs and claimed 4-17 from his three overs. The 17-year old Mujeeb Ur Rahman also bowled with efficiency taking 3-17 off his four overs.

Despite a massive six late on off the bowling of Rashid Khan by Rankin, the crowd had little to cheer and Ireland were eventually dismissed for 79 off the last ball of the 15thover.

Speaking after the match, Gary Wilson was asked if the toss was a crucial factor:

“I don’t think when you lose by 81 runs you can point to the toss. Perhaps if you have a 20 run loss or a 10 run loss you could have said batting second was the harder dig. We would’ve batted had we won the toss, as early on was the best time to bat.”

“The boys will be hurting in there and know that that’s not good enough. When we all come to practice tomorrow I’ll expect everyone to be back up and giving 100%.”

Hometown star Boyd Rankin said:

“At half-time I was saying it was probably about par score. We could have restricted them to 130-140 if we bowled a little better. Our plans were to get Zazai early, but that hasn’t happened the last two games. I think we contained him pretty well in the first six but obviously we didn’t get him out.”

“We needed to get off to a good start, but didn’t get that losing three early wickets. Once that happened it makes it difficult for the lads coming in with the run rate climbing. It was one of those days where we kept losing wickets and never got a partnership going.”

“I think it will be good to come back and get a win in that final T20 on Friday going into the one-day internationals next week – it’ll give us a bit of confidence. It was close on Monday, but it was their day today – that seems to be the way T20s go, but hopefully we can come back and put it right on Friday.”

“[Playing at Bready] was obviously really special for me. It was touch-and-go playing here, but it was very nice to be able to play my first proper game here and it was good to get a good crowd at home.”

Ireland and Afghanistan will return to Bready on Friday for the third of three T20Is in the current series.


SUMMARY SCORECARD

Afghanistan 160-8 (20 overs; H Zazai 82, A Afghan 37; P Chase 3-35, B Rankin 2-14)
Ireland 79 (15 overs; G Wilson 33, W Porterfield 22; R Khan 4-17, M Ur Rahman 3-17)

Afghanistan won by 81 runs
 
Zazai looks like a serious prospect. A frightening mix of Inzamam and Jayasuriya.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The third T20I between Afghanistan and <a href="https://twitter.com/Irelandcricket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Irelandcricket</a> is abandoned due to wet outfield and persistent rain. Consequently , Afghanistan win the T20I series 2-0.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AFGvIRE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AFGvIRE</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/3rdT20I?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#3rdT20I</a> <a href="https://t.co/1b7II5Jt8u">pic.twitter.com/1b7II5Jt8u</a></p>— Afghan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) <a href="https://twitter.com/ACBofficials/status/1033012216377864192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan will be hoping to make a move towards the top of the bowlers’ list in the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Player Rankings as his side prepares for a three-match ODI series against Ireland in Belfast from Monday.
Rashid, who is the top-ranked bowler in T20Is and a major draw in T20 leagues the world over, is currently on 763 points in ODIs, just 12 points adrift of top-ranked India pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah. His compatriot Mohammad Nabi is another player who would be eyeing the chance of moving up the rankings from his 16th position among bowlers and second among all-rounders.

The leading Afghanistan batsmen in terms of rankings are Rahman Shah (31st) and Mohammad Shahzad (47th), while for Ireland, Paul Stirling (34th) and Kevin O’Brien (50th) lead the field. Fast bowler (Tim Murtagh 23rd) and off-spinner Andy McBrine (44th) are their main bowlers in terms of rankings in the series which culminates on 31 August.

Ireland can move up by 10 points to 48 if they are able to win by 3-0
Ireland can move up by 10 points to 48 if they are able to win by 3-0
In the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings, Afghanistan can gain two points and reach 65 points if they are able to continue the kind of domination displayed in a recent three-match T20I series against Ireland and win the ODI series 3-0. On the other hand, Ireland can move up by 10 points to 48 if they are able to win by the same margin. However, there will be no change in the ranking positions with Afghanistan and Ireland remaining in 10th and 12 positions, respectively, in any scenario.

The next rankings update will take place following the ODIs of the Asia Cup Qualifiers, to be held in Malaysia from 29 August to 6 September. Nepal and the United Arab Emirates are the two sides with ODI status and their match on 30 August will enjoy ODI status, as will the final should both these teams qualify for it.

IMG-20180826-WA0066.jpg

https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/833561
 
BELFAST – The Ireland Men’s cricket team fought hard to restrict a rampant Afghanistan batting attack, but a lack of substantial partnerships and world-class bowling saw the visiting side prevail in today’s first one-day international at Stormont.
Persistent rain yesterday left ground staff with a challenge overnight, but play started on time today with Ireland’s captain William Porterfield winning the toss and electing to bowl first.

Unlike the two completed T20Is last week, Ireland’s bowlers were able to remove the dangerous Hazratullah Zazai early, with Boyd Rankin surprising the batsman with extra bounce and he popped the ball up to Simi Singh. Zazai had been named Player of the Series for his two innings last week in the T20 format, and looked again to threaten the attack but his early capture gave the Irish bowlers a boost.

Afghan middle-order batsman Gulbadin Naib top-scored with a well-controlled innings of 64 from 98 balls (6 x fours) and was well supported by a stylish half-century by Hashmatullah Shahidi (54 runs from 82 balls; 3 x fours). Despite a flurry of shots from the captain Asghar Afghan (25 runs from 23 balls; 1 x four, 1 x six), the Irish bowlers could be relatively satisfied with how they controlled the innings.

Rankin bowled with pace and wasn’t afraid of using his additional height to great effect, claiming three scalps in his spell of 3-44 from 10 overs. However, the stand-out bowler of the innings was the returning Tim Murtagh. The 37-year old Middlesex paceman bowled with accuracy and variation, inducing false shots and taking a career best 4-31 from 10 overs.

Another stand-out performance of note was the outfield catching of Andrew Balbirnie who claimed four catches – an Irish record for outfield catches in an ODI.

Needing 228 for victory, Ireland lost openers Porterfield (16) and Stirling (10) before Andrew Balbirnie and Niall O’Brien set about re-establishing control of the innings, until a piece of brilliant fielding and a slight mix up in the call led to O’Brien’s dismissal, run out for 11.

Balbirnie was the lynchpin for Ireland and the batsman that Ireland needed to build the innings around. His 55 from 82 balls was assured but his demise signalled the turning of the match.

Despite Gary Wilson’s 38 (50 balls; 1 x six) at the death, Ireland could not consolidate a partnership and the regular fall of wickets put upward pressure on the run rate required.

Eventually Ireland was bowled out for 198, losing by 29 runs.

After the match Tim Murtagh said:

“It was a shame – at halfway we’d given ourselves a good chance. We started a bit slow in the field, but our bowlers - to claw it back and restrict them to 228 - was a pretty good effort. We felt we were in the game at that stage and felt pretty confident. Obviously it didn’t our way and it’s disappointing but we’re going to have to come back Wednesday.”

“They played pretty well in the middle, the two lads who got fifties looked like they were setting up a platform, and we know they’ve got dangerous guys who can whack the ball at the death, but we held our nerve pretty well I think – maybe we got a bit lucky in the end with a few leading edges spooning up to cover, but pretty god effort from the 20 over mark onwards I thought. We would’ve taken that at the start of the game.”

“A total like that was only really one really good partnership that would have sealed it for us, unfortunately we couldn’t do that. We needed one of those partnerships to kick on and someone to score 70 or 80 and other guys to play around him.”

“The wicket was a little bit sticky, in terms of the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat. It didn’t do much off the seam or swing much, I don’t think it even spun massively later in the game, and we were happy with where we were at halfway. We knew we still had to play well because they’ve a couple of really good spinners, but we were confident we could have chased it down.”

“They’ve obviously got a world-class bowler in Rashid, and Mujeeb is probably not that far behind him, I think those two are the main difference between the teams. So as bowlers, we’ve got to help the batters out by restricting the opposition as much as we can.”

“It’s good to be back with the boys – I haven’t seen them since the Test Match [in May], so it’s been strange having a chunk of time not being over here, but its been god to get back in amongst them and get some wickets.”

Ireland and Afghanistan will return to Stormont on Wednesday for the second of three ODIs in the current series.
 
Hosts Ireland pipped Afghanistan to a three-wicket victory in the second ODI after a brilliant four-wicket haul from Tim Murtagh helped restrict the tourists to 182/9.

Series honours will now be awarded to the side that prevails in the final ODI on Friday 31 August.

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat, and Murtagh, fresh from a brilliant 4/31 in the previous ODI, gave the hosts a significant early advantage after dismissing both openers with some excellent swing-bowling, pinning Mohammad Shahzad lbw for a duck before cleaning up the dangerous Hazrat Zazai (1).

Shortly after, Gulbadin Naib followed him back to the pavilion when he played across the line to another hooping Murtagh delivery, getting trapped in front with Afghanistan flailing at 13/3.

Three maidens ensued, which prompted impatient running before some stunning work in the in-field from Andrew Balbirnie saw Hashmatullah Shahid run out for seven.

Rahmat Shah and skipper Asghar Afghan were watchful in their approach as they looked to rebuild, and although it wasn't typical limited-overs batting, some stability had been restored. Swift work behind the stumps courtesy of Ireland’s Niall O’Brien helped Simi Singh cut short the partnership when it was worth 56, with Shah falling for a steady 32 from 69 balls.

Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, playing in his 100th ODI, was the next man to fall. Peter Chase dug one in and the 33-year-old followed it wide of his off-stump, lifting the ball to a grateful Kevin O’Brien at deep backward-point.

Afghan’s wicket provided the nail in the coffin when he became the second set batsman to gift Ireland a run-out, diving and stretching to no avail as Paul Stirling threw down the stumps to dismiss the Afghanistan captain for 39 from 82 deliveries.

Murtagh continued his inspired run of form by returning to the attack to dismiss Rashid Khan, who skied one after advancing down the track. Najibullah Zadran pushed his side closer to a par score, passing 1000 ODI runs in the process, but perishing via a lovely catch from Singh on the boundary for a well-made and crucial 42.

Afghanistan edged their way to 182/9, an excellent effort from Ireland’s bowlers, in particular the potent Murtagh, who finished with 4/30, and the wicketless Boyd Rankin who strangled the run-rate with figures of 0/22 from his ten overs.

Ireland began dismally in their reply though, when 17-year old Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowled Will Porterfield, the ex-Irish captain missing an attempted cut from a straight delivery leaving his side a wicket down having not troubled the scorers. Stirling looked in supreme touch though, stroking the ball splendidly for an excellent 39 before being stumped by Shahzad off the bowling off Nabi.


Balbirnie, at No.3, saw Niall (10) and Kevin O'Brien (8) both lose their wickets, to Nabi and Khan respectively, and at 97/4, all-rounder Singh came out to the middle. He and Balbirnie picked up runs, particularly the latter, who brought up his seventh ODI 50 in the 31st over. He fell for 60 though, with 19-year old superstar Rashid doing the business with the ball, and suddenly Ireland began to falter in their pursuit.

Singh then began to run out of partners as the hosts slipped from 144/4 to 164/7, skipper Gary Wilson and Andy McBrine both falling in the single figures, but bowling hero Murtagh showed great composure under pressure to help his side over the line. Singh's unbeaten 36 was vital in his side's success considering the intense pressure that was put on the hosts towards the back end of the innings by the Afghanistan spin contingent.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/837059
 
BELFAST – Tim Murtagh, Ireland’s 37-year old paceman, has starred with the ball and hit the winning runs with that bat as the Ireland Men’s cricket team levelled the series with a nervy three-wicket win over Afghanistan in today’s second one-day international (ODI) at Stormont.
Overnight rain did not delay the start of play, and Ireland maintained confidence in its team naming an unchanged line-up from Monday’s first ODI. Ireland’s captain William Porterfield lost the toss, however the decision by Afghanistan to bat first backfired as Ireland made an excellent use of cool conditions and a pitch that had a distinctly green tinge.

Fresh from his career-best bowling figures in the last match, Ireland’s Tim Murtagh was again the destroyer taking four wickets again (the first occasion an Irish bowler has taken consecutive four-wicket hauls in ODIs), and his 4-30 from 10 overs gave him a new career-best bowling return in ODIs. Murtagh’s length and accuracy caused problems from the outset, removing the top three batsmen with just 13 runs on the board.

Murtagh’s continued good form was, this time, matched by a vastly improved fielding performance by the men in green taking key catches and also effecting two direct-hit run outs.

The bowling tactic for Ireland today was obviously good line-and-length seam bowling, and the Irish bowling unit duly delivered. Boyd Rankin, unlucky to go wicketless after seeing two catches put down off his bowling, bowled again with pace and bounce finishing with 0-22 off 10 overs. Peter Chase and Kevin O’Brien both claimed 1-45 from their respective 10-over spells, with Simi Singh chipping in with 1-17.

Despite their dominance, and having Afghanistan at 100-7 in the 35th over, the Afghan tail wagged and the last three partnerships put on an additional 82 runs, finishing the Afghan innings at 182-9 from 50 overs.

For Afghanistan, an impressive late-order 42 from 52 balls by Najibullah Zadran and a patient 39 by captain Asghar Afghan were the most notable performances with the bat.

The Irish run chase did not get off to the start they wanted losing captain Porterfield for a duck from the fourth ball, bowled by a delivery that kept low and went under his bat. However, a 69-run partnership from Paul Stirling (39 from 50 balls; 3 x fours, 1 x six) and Andrew Balbirnie (60 from 92 balls; 5 x fours) settled any early nerves and put Ireland on the path to victory. Balbirnie was particularly impressive, playing with a straight bat and getting onto the front foot as much as possible. His second half-century on the trot a credit in conditions that most batsmen found difficult.

Seemingly cruising to victory at 87-2 in the 23rd over, key middle order wickets then fell with Rashid Khan (3-37) leading the Afghans back into the contest. However, standing between the Afghans and an unlikely victory was Simi Singh who batted defiantly with the lower order and saw Ireland through to victory with 36* (off 59 balls; 1 x four, 1 x six).

When Tim Murtagh played the final delivery through the slip region for two to bring up the Irish win, the crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief knowing that the end result was closer than it appeared it would be just ten overs prior and a welcome win for the home side who conceivably lost a winnable match last time out.

After the match captain William Porterfield said:

“The way the boys stuck at it for 50 overs was great – we asked for a bit more today and we got that. It was always going to be a scrappy game, but it was really nice for Simi to see it through at the end.”

“We were pretty good in the field today, and if we had the same application as today with the bat in the first game then we would likely be standing here two-nil up. I’m really happy with how we went about it today, especially with the ball, and if we can bring that into Friday and get a few more partnerships then it will make things a little bit easier.”

“Tim [Murtagh] is a fantastic performer - he’s been doing it for the last 20 years now. He knows his job and knows what he is doing. It’s great to see him get his rewards for everything he’s done. He’s just such a consistent performer for us.”

“And Balbo [Andrew Balbirnie] getting back to back fifties in scrappy conditions, it’s great to see him do that and fight through, even looking pretty fluent at times.”

“For Simi, the biggest thing for him was seeing that through at the end. It’s good for him and good for his confidence. How he went about it, it’s a different skill in itself to manoeuvre it around and bat with the lower order.”

Ireland and Afghanistan will return to Stormont on Friday for the third and deciding match of the series.


SUMMARY SCORECARD

Afghanistan 182-9 (50 overs; N Zadran 42, A Afghan 39; T Murtagh 4-30, S Singh 1-17)
Ireland 183-7 (43.5 overs; A Balbirnie 55, S Singh 36*; R Khan 3-37, M Nabi 2-38)

Ireland won by 3 wickets
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Team Afghanistan celebrate playing 100th ODI and <a href="https://twitter.com/MohammadNabi007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MohammadNabi007</a> 's appearance in the same number of ODIs.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/100ODIs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#100ODIs</a> <a href="https://t.co/GTfJDEEnYc">pic.twitter.com/GTfJDEEnYc</a></p>— Afghan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) <a href="https://twitter.com/ACBofficials/status/1034871097915834369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2018</a></blockquote>
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reland, at long last, managed to register their first win of the series against Afghanistan, and will hope to carry that form into the final one-day international on Friday, 31 August.

Overview

Ireland v Afghanistan
Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast
3rd ODI
Friday, 31 August, 10.30 local, 9.45 GMT

Ireland were blanked 2-0 in the three-match Twenty20 International series – the final game was abandoned – and were beaten by 29 runs in the first ODI, despite restricting Afghanistan to a sub-par total.

Ireland’s batting was the worry. They lost too many wickets too soon, and just couldn’t stitch together partnerships. It was so iffy for Ireland that, Tim Murtagh conceded that the likes of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were “world-class bowlers”, who “made all the difference” between the two sides.

However, the home side showed much-needed fight in the second ODI on Wednesday. They restricted Afghanistan to 182/9 after the visitors opted to bat, and even had them at 16/4 at one point.

Andrew Balbirnie then scored a second consecutive half-century, and this time found support in Paul Stirling (39) and Simi Singh (36*) as Ireland drew level in the three-match series.

Good as that win was, the batting problems didn’t really get fixed. There were still wobbles, with William Porterfield, the captain, dismissed for nought early on, and the O’Brien brothers, Kevin and Niall, managing just 18 runs between them.

The three-wicket victory, in fact, came thanks to Singh showing plenty of nerves in his 59-ball knock. “It would have been nice to get over the line with 10-15 overs to go but it is important that we won,” Porterfield later said. Ireland will take confidence from that.

Afghanistan will take solace from the fact that they once again troubled the home side considerably, despite, once again, posting a small total. That said, they have batting concerns of their own to address.

Hazratullah Zazai scored consecutive half-centuries in the T20Is, but he has been dismissed for 14 and 1 in the ODIs. Mohammad Shahzad’s usual gung-ho feats were missed as well, and Afghanistan have a problem facing the new ball.

All of which means the final ODI might well come down to the batting – the side that copes better can come away with the series.

Paul Stirling (Ireland): Having failed to make a mark in the T20Is and the first ODI, the 27-year-old finally came good for Ireland in the second ODI, and scored an important 39. It resulted in Ireland’s best performance with the bat so far against Afghanistan, and if he can give Balbirnie that support once again, Ireland can realistically hope for the best in the decider.

Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan): The 20-year-old scored consecutive half-centuries in the two T20Is, but the runs have dried up in the ODIs. The change in formats certainly hasn’t helped his cause, but he’s young and he’s talented. If he can click in the decider, Ireland’s chances will diminish rather quickly.


There’ll be a few clouds hovering around Belfast on Friday, but that is as threatening as they are expected to get. No rain is forecast, and we should have an uninterrupted finale.

Squads

Ireland: William Porterfield (c), Andy Balbirnie, Peter Chase, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Gary Wilson, Josh Little

Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad, Javed Ahmadi, Asghar Afghan (c), Rahmat Shah, Samiullah Shenwari, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Aftab Alam, Ihsanullah Janat, Sayed Shirzad, Dawlat Zadran, Wafadar

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/837160
 
Ireland 124 (36.1/50 ov)

Think easy one for Afghanistan
 
Afghanistan - 53/2 10.3/50 ov CRR: 5.04 - still looking easy for Afg
 
Result
3rd ODI, Afghanistan Tour of Ireland at Belfast, Aug 31 2018

Ireland
124

Afghanistan
127/2 (23.5/50 ov, target 125)

Afghanistan won by 8 wickets with 157 balls to spare
 
BELFAST – The Ireland Men’s cricket team fell to an eight-wicket defeat to Afghanistan in today’s third and series-deciding one-day international at Stormont.
A cool breeze and blue skies met the two teams, as Ireland and Afghanistan arrived at Stormont to battle out the decider in the current three-match Gulbahar Trophy ODI series.

After Ireland’s captain William Porterfield won the toss and chose to bat first, Ireland were immediately put on the back foot losing key batsman Paul Stirling for 2, before skipper Porterfield and the in-form Andrew Balbirnie seemed to steady early nerves.

However, with the score on 34, Porterfield fell to a juggled catch at mid-off by his opposite number, Asghar Afghan. His wicket foreshadowed a middle order collapse, as Ireland went from 34-1 to 72-6 in the space of eight overs. Chief among the destroyers for the Afghan bowling unit were spinners Rashid Khan (3-18) and Gulbadin Naib (2-34).

Kevin O’Brien (16), Simi Singh (17) and Gary Wilson (23) battled hard to move Ireland past the 100-mark, but once they were removed the tail was wrapped up quickly and Ireland posted just 124 runs from 36.1 overs.

For the Afghans, five of the wickets taken today were leg before wicket decisions, three of which from the bowling of Rashid Khan. Rashid’s haul of eight wickets over the three ODIs won him the Player of the Series award and underscored his importance to Afghanistan’s white ball cricket fortunes. Combined with his display in the T20I series, he once again demonstrated why he is ranked amongst the top bowlers in world cricket at present.

In response, Afghanistan’s run chase started poorly losing the early wicket of Mohammad Shahzad for 1. However, fellow opener Ihsanullah and Rahmat Shah set about scoring at a rate of better than five-an-over, bringing up the Afghanistan 50 in the 9th over. Shortly after this milestone was achieved, Ireland’s Tim Murtagh claimed the wicket of Rahmat for 33, and Ireland’s fielders noticeably lifted sensing a distant and unlikely victory was possible heading into the lunch break.

Returning from the break, Afghanistan’s batsmen had obviously decided that a confident and attacking mindset was needed and they set about finishing the match in quick fashion. They did not lose any further wickets as they posted 127-2 in 23.5 overs. With that went the series, and Afghanistan came away deserved 2-1 winners.

After the match Ireland’s captain William Porterfield said:

“We knew, looking at the first two games, that we needed to get a good total on the board – it was never going to be a high-scoring affair. Losing those three [early] wickets in the space of a couple of runs put us on the back foot. We knew from there we’d have to play well to get back into it and Kevin [O’Brien] and Simi [Singh] showed a glimpse of that with a good partnership.”

“We knew early on was the best time to bat on a surface like that, and that it would slow up as the game went on, but we just didn’t get enough runs to provide a challenge.”

“Any series between these two sides are generally close – it’s typically our batters against their spinners, and their batters against our seamers - and whoever wins that battle comes out on top in that game. That’s been the same for the last four series, and will be the case moving forward against Afghanistan, especially looking towards February and March when we’re going away to play them.”

Ireland and Afghanistan will face each other next in February/March 2019, which will include a series of matches including five ODIs, three T20Is and an inaugural Test match between the two sides.


SUMMARY SCORECARD

Ireland 124 (36.1 overs; G Wilson 23, A Balbirnie 17, S Singh 17; R Khan 3-18, A Alam 2-22, G Naib 2-34)
Afghanistan 127-2 (23.5 overs; Ihsanullah 57*, H Shahidi 34*, R Shah 33; B Rankin 1-30, T Murtagh 1-39)

Afghanistan won by 8 wickets
 
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