Ireland v Afghanistan 2-match ODI series (2019) Discussion Thread

[MenInG]

Afghanistan will have their last chance to tune-up for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 when they take on Ireland in a two-match one-day international series, starting in Belfast on Sunday, 19 May.

Overview

Ireland v Afghanistan
1st ODI
Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast
Sunday, 19 May; 10:45am local, 09:45am GMT

Afghanistan and Ireland drew 2-2 the last time they clashed in an ODI series, in India in March in what was a thrilling series. They go again, but this time the priority, for Afghanistan, will be on what is to come beyond the series.

The two ODIs in Belfast will help them acclimatise to the conditions, which will be similar to what they will come across in England and Wales. There is also the fact that they've not had much game time under their new captain – Gulbadin Naib – and they will want to build on their 1-0 series victory over Scotland.

Afghanistan will also hope to test their bench strength, fine-tune their combinations, and get some valuable match practice against an Ireland desperate to test them. The hosts come into this series after failing to win a match in the tri-nation series against Bangladesh and West Indies.

That would have stung them. But they will look to the positive, of which there were a few, and do their utmost to disturb Afghanistan.

Key Players

Andy Balbirnie (Ireland): It was in the series against Afghanistan earlier this year that Balbirnie struck his career-best 145* from 136 balls. He also scored a hundred against West Indies in the tri-series. In 2019, the Ireland batsman has scored 428 runs in nine ODIs at 61.14. He will hope to continue in similar vein against Afghanistan.

Gulbadin Naib (Afghanistan): All eyes will be on the newly-appointed Afghanistan captain. Naib is just one ODI old as captain after Afghanistan changed captains last month, and he will be keen to match up to the selectors' faith in him.

Conditions

Chances of play look extremely dim. There is forecast for continuous rain, and the best-case scenario is for a truncated match.

Squads

Ireland: William Porterfield (C), Mark Adair, Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Tyrone Kane, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, James McCollum, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker, Gary Wilson.

Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib (C), Mohammad Shahzad, Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, CRashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan and Mujeeb ur Rahman.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1222686

 

[MenInG]

Afghanistan won the toss and opt to bowl

IRE 68/2 (16.4) CRR: 4.08

 

[MenInG]

IRE 210 (48.5)

AFG 40/3 (18.5) CRR: 2.12 REQ: 5.49

Afghanistan need 171 runs

 

[Zeeraq]

Ireland 210
Afghanistan 120/7 (32.1/50 Overs)

 

[MenInG]

IRE 210 (48.5)
AFG 134/8 (34.4) CRR: 3.87 REQ: 5.02
Afghanistan need 77 runs in 92 balls

 

[Bangladesh_Fan]

Afghanistan in lot of trouble in this match

 

[MenInG]

Afghanistan outclassed!

IRE 210 (48.5)

AFG 138-all out (35.4) CRR: 3.87

Ireland won by 72 runs

Well Done to Ireland.

 

[The Viper]

BELFAST – A gritty batting display followed by an exceptional bowling performance by the Ireland men’s cricket team saw the home side convincing winners against Afghanistan in game one of the GS Holdings ODI Challenge at Stormont today.

After Afghan captain Gulbadin Naib won the toss and sent Ireland in to bat, the visitors bowling attacked sought to use the seam-friendly conditions to make early in-roads. The loss of James McCollum and the in-form Andy Balbirnie, both dismissed by Dawlat Zadran for 4, had Ireland set back on their heels at 35-2 in the 9th over.

The experience of Irish batters Paul Stirling and William Porterfield then came to the fore as the pair fought to stabilise the innings and shared a 99-run third wicket partnership. Stirling (71 from 94 balls) continued his rich vein of form this summer, having scored 77 and 130 in his last two innings for the men in green, while captain Porterfield (53 from 83 balls) scored his second consecutive half-century after registering 93 in his last outing against Bangladesh last Wednesday.

With Ireland sitting at 134-2 in the 34th over, the sudden loss of Stirling and Porterfield in the space of eight balls rocked the Irish side and restricted the home sides momentum.

A well-compiled 32 from 44 balls by Kevin O’Brien was the only contribution of note following this, and Ireland was eventually dismissed for 210 from 48.5 overs.

For the Afghans, Dawlat (3-35) and Aftab Alam (3-28) claimed three wickets apiece, as the Irish side looked to have registered a below-par score.

Looking for early wickets, the Irish bowlers led by Tim Murtagh (2-12) and Andy McBrine (0-17) began with an incredible spell of tight bowling. Murtagh claimed two wickets early and the visitors were reeling at 19-2 in the 9thover.

Struggling to break the shackles, pressure built up and further wickets fell with Mark Adair (4-19) picking up where Murtagh left off, removing Hazratullah Zazai for 14 and Hashmutullah Shahidi for 12. A 54-run stand between Asghar Afghan and Mohammad Nabi threatened to get the visitors back into the game, but three wickets to Boyd Rankin (including his 100th wicket in ODI cricket) saw the end of the visiting teams resistance.

Adair came back at the end to clean up the final two wickets, including a spectacular caught-and-bowled effort to finish the innings. Afghanistan were dismissed for 138 runs, with Ireland claiming a convincing 72-run win.

Speaking after the game, Mark Adair said:

“It’s nice to come on when the lads have built a bit of pressure up – Andy [McBrine] and Murts [Tim Murtagh] gave them absolutely nothing and it is something we hadn’t done in the Tri-Series so it was nice to put things right. The lads were great in the field – it was just a good team performance.”

Asked what the view of the team was at the change of innings, Adair said:

“At one point we were looking at 250, but had to reassess when we lost a few wickets. We thought given a chance we could get it up to 220 or 230, but they bowled well and I don’t think it was a pitch that anyone could go in and start very well on. I think the lads who got runs grafted hard and a win’s a win, so we don’t look on it too badly.”

“We were a bit disappointed coming out of the Tri-Series, our bowling in particular – I don’t think we managed to string too many games together where we were putting pressure on or being consistent enough, and I think that’s where Murts and Scra [McBrine] came in today and set the tone perfectly.”


Ireland and Afghanistan will meet again at the same venue on Tuesday, starting at 10.45am. Tickets available at the gate, with children under-16 free entry.


SCORECARD IN BRIEF

Ireland v Afghanistan, one-day international, 19 May 2019, Stormont


Ireland 210 (48.5 overs; P Stirling 71, W Porterfield 53;A Alam 3-28)

Afghanistan 138 (35.4 overs; A Afghan 29; M Adair 4-19, B Rankin 3-40)



Ireland won by 72 runs

 

[aloo paratha]

Beating an opponent that is in the World Cup, yet still they aren't in it.

 

[Ashraful_Rox]

I think the Afghan players are underperforming on purpose because of the change of captaincy.

 

[Executioner]

Ireland should be in the world cup

Last 3 world cups they were pretty good. Nearly as good as both Pakistan and Bangladesh even

 

[Bangladesh_Fan]

Ireland should be in the world cup

Last 3 world cups they were pretty good. Nearly as good as both Pakistan and Bangladesh even

They didn't look so good in the Tri series just few days back did they, got well beaten in all the games by everyone, playing at home as well. Still not convinced by them. They have done well Vs Afghanistan though in the previous series too, drawing it in India .

 

[saeed5646]

Ireland should be in the world cup

Last 3 world cups they were pretty good. Nearly as good as both Pakistan and Bangladesh even

what are you smoking .we are bad from 2011 onward but we reached semifinal in 2011 worldcup which ireland have none

 

[pakistani pride]

I think the Afghan players are underperforming on purpose because of the change of captaincy.

Sure.
They are such a WC unit.

 

[pakistani pride]

Ireland should be in the world cup

Last 3 world cups they were pretty good. Nearly as good as both Pakistan and Bangladesh even

Uhmm PAK reached SF and QF in the last 2 out of the 3 WC.

Please list what IRL did?

 

[hadi123]

Looks the series going to be 1-1

 

[MenInG]

BELFAST – A century from opener Mohammad Shahzad and career-best figures from captain Gulbadin Naib saw Afghanistan overrun Ireland in game two of the GS Holdings ODI Challenge at Stormont today, leaving the series result level on one win apiece.

After Ireland captain William Porterfield won the toss and sent the visitors into bat, the Afghans looked determined to wipe away Sunday’s under-par batting display and struck out from the outset. Mohammad Shahzad (101 from 88 balls) led the charge, with the ever-consistent Rahmat Shah hitting 62. The pair shared a 150-run partnership for the second wicket before Andy McBrine removed both batters within the space of four balls in the 32nd over.

Sensing a way back into the game, the Irish bowlers began to slow the run rate until Hashmatullah Shahidi (47) and Najibullah Zadran (60*) came together and shared a 86-run stand for the 6th wicket in 53 balls.

The Afghans lost two wickets in the final over, however by then the damage was done and the visitors had compiled 305-7 from their 50 overs. This was their third highest team total in one-day internationals.

For the home side, Mark Adair picked up 3-71 and McBrine 2-43.

Ireland’s response started confidently with Paul Stirling hitting two boundaries in the first over, but the loss of James McCollum (3) and Andy Balbirnie (20) set the home side back on its heels. Stirling continued to hit out, bringing up a run-a-ball half-century which included four fours and two sixes, before falling soon after caught on the deep square leg boundary. This was the fourth innings in a row Stirling has passed 50, with 77, 130, 71 and 50 being his last four completed innings.

After Stirling’s dismissal the run rate dried up and regular wickets fell, with only Gary Wilson (34) and Porterfield (19) looked like getting to grips with the bowling. Ireland eventually succumbed for 179 in the 42nd over, giving Afghanistan a 126-run win and a drawn series result.

For the Afghans, captain Gulbadin Naib claimed career-best figures of 6-43, his first 5-wicket haul in ODI cricket.


Paul Stirling was named Player of the Series for his two half-centuries. Speaking after the game, he said:

“We would have loved to wrapped up the series two-nil, but we had a disappointing batting performance today. Obviously after we won the toss we were hoping to get a couple down early and put the pressure on, but we didn’t manage to do that. They put on a big partnership, and once you got in here you could put on big runs, which they did, and the result was that it was always going to be a tough chase.”

Ireland captain William Porterfield said:

“I think if you look at the game we got our disciplines wrong, all three aspects. At the toss I was a little bit 50-50 as I didn’t mind what we did - we thought there might have been a little there early, but they just got some partnerships together – they strung those partnerships together for longer.”

Looking back over the month of May, he said:

“If you look over the whole month obviously Stirlo [Paul Stirling] has been fantastic, and Balbo [Andrew Balbirnie] has performed well with the bat – and as for the four new lads, there’s been some massive positives. This month has been partly about giving them game time. It would have been nice to have put in a better performance today and win the series, but there has been a lot of good things over the month.”


SCORECARD IN BRIEF

Ireland v Afghanistan, one-day international, 21 May 2019, Stormont


Afghanistan 305-7 (50 overs; M Shahzad 101, R Shah 62; M Adair 3-71, A McBrine 2-43)

Ireland 179 (41.2 overs; P Stirling 50, G Wilson 34; G Naib 6-43)



Afghanistan won by 126 runs

 

[Mp812]

Who won

 

[MMHS]

AFGs are a hard nut once they have a good score on board. In this WC, they are the only side against whom one should bat first.