Two wins in two matches and now, Ireland would want to seal the series when they take on Afghanistan in the 3rd T20I in Belfast on Friday.
In the second match, Mohammad Nabi won the toss and elected to bat first, but his batters could never get going against a disciplined Irish bowling attack. They were knocked over for just 122 runs, with Hashmatullah Shahidi being the top-scoring batter at 36.
Ireland were coasting along in the chase with their captain Andrew Balbirnie finally finding form with a 46-run innings of 36 balls. Lorcan Tucker and George Dockrell too chipped in with handy contributions as they completed the target with one over to spare.
Earlier in the game, Josh Little, Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, and Gareth Delany picked up two wickets each to break the back of Afghanistan. At the halfway mark, Afghanistan was struggling at 62 for 4. The second half of the innings followed the same pattern as the visitors could only manage 122 for 8. This is one area where they need to be more aggressive and transfer the pressure on the Irish bowlers in the third encounter.
For the second consecutive match, ace spinner Rashid Khan was without any success, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi too did not look very impressive. The visitors have to pull up their socks and be more on point with their all-round game if they have to stay afloat in the series.
Weather Update:
Ireland vs Afghanistan third T20 International is set to take place at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast. The weather conditions will be clear during this important 20-over clash. Chances of rain are sporadic. The temperatures will be pleasant and will hover between 13-26 degrees Celsius during the matchday. The wind speed is likely to be around 9 km/h.
Predicted Playing XIs:
Ireland: Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq
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