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The famous win over England at the same ground was arguably Ireland’s greatest ever T20I win in men’s competition, and has given Andrew Balbirnie’s side a chance of springing a surprise in Group 1.
But that chance will disappear if the Irish can’t get another win on the board against a dangerous Afghanistan outfit.
Ireland won a five-match T20I series over Friday’s opponents in the summer, fittingly winning the fifth and deciding match on DLS Method in Belfast.
But the three wins in that series were Ireland’s first against Afghanistan since 2013, following a dismal run that had seen them lose 12 times on the spin before a dramatic tie in March 2020.
Talking of spin, it is the Afghan spin trio who are likely to cause Ireland problems in Melbourne.
It was notable that England’s spinners had reasonable success despite defeat, with Liam Livingstone taking three wickets and Adil Rashid bowling tidily as the Irish struggled to cope with the turning ball. And Afghanistan’s spinners are among the most fearsome unit in the world, so more struggles could be ahead.
A loss for either side would likely end their chances of upsetting the odds and qualifying for the semi-finals.
Predicted Playing XI
Afghanistan
Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Ireland
Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little
Key Players
Mark Adair: Ireland need Powerplay wickets and while all eyes are on Josh Little, Adair's ability to swing the new ball and create wicket-taking opportunities up front makes him a genuine threat.
Mohammad Nabi: The Afghanistan skipper is a crucial player for them. Nabi plays a vital role with the bat in the middle order and is also a bankable bowling option. Although he couldn't do much with the bat against England in the opening game, he bowled an effective spell of 3-0-16-1. But he was seen in good batting form in the warm-up fixtures as he scored 41* and 51* against Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively.
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But that chance will disappear if the Irish can’t get another win on the board against a dangerous Afghanistan outfit.
Ireland won a five-match T20I series over Friday’s opponents in the summer, fittingly winning the fifth and deciding match on DLS Method in Belfast.
But the three wins in that series were Ireland’s first against Afghanistan since 2013, following a dismal run that had seen them lose 12 times on the spin before a dramatic tie in March 2020.
Talking of spin, it is the Afghan spin trio who are likely to cause Ireland problems in Melbourne.
It was notable that England’s spinners had reasonable success despite defeat, with Liam Livingstone taking three wickets and Adil Rashid bowling tidily as the Irish struggled to cope with the turning ball. And Afghanistan’s spinners are among the most fearsome unit in the world, so more struggles could be ahead.
A loss for either side would likely end their chances of upsetting the odds and qualifying for the semi-finals.
Predicted Playing XI
Afghanistan
Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Ireland
Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little
Key Players
Mark Adair: Ireland need Powerplay wickets and while all eyes are on Josh Little, Adair's ability to swing the new ball and create wicket-taking opportunities up front makes him a genuine threat.
Mohammad Nabi: The Afghanistan skipper is a crucial player for them. Nabi plays a vital role with the bat in the middle order and is also a bankable bowling option. Although he couldn't do much with the bat against England in the opening game, he bowled an effective spell of 3-0-16-1. But he was seen in good batting form in the warm-up fixtures as he scored 41* and 51* against Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively.
==
All posters please take note of the following guidelines for match threads on PakPassion:
1. No personal insults at other posters, players, officials, coaching staffs etc.
2. No making fun of player's, official's, coaching staff's names.
3. Do not add any references to media, their social media or post any pictures or screenshots from other sports websites.
4. Stick to commenting on this match. There is no need to bring other countries into the match discussion as there are plenty of other threads where those discussions can be added.
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