Ireland edge Afghanistan for T20 series win

18.08.2022 - 00:15 news24.com

George Dockrell saw Ireland to a narrow Twenty20 international series win over Afghanistan in a rain-affected finale at Stormont on Wednesday.Dockrell hit the winning run with two balls to spare after Ireland had been set a revised target of 56 in seven overs, with a seven-wicket victory giving the hosts the five-match contest 3-2.Ireland paceman Mark Adair removed openers Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz in his first over after home skipper Andy Balbirnie won the toss.And when Adair dismissed Ibrahim Zadran, he had figures of 3-16, with Afghanistan 26-3 inside four overs.Usman Ghani, however, led an Afghanistan counter-attack after Josh Little had Najibullah Zadran and captain Mohammad Nabi caught behind by Lorcan Tucker off successive deliveries.But having made an unbeaten 44, off just 40 balls -- including three fours and two sixes -- Ghani's innings was curtailed by rain, with Afghanistan 95-5 off 15 overs.A lengthy delay left Ireland chasing a revised target.Off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman had Balbirnie lbw for nine and when he had Paul Stirling (16) caught at midwicket, Ireland were 38-2.That became 45-3 when Tucker fell to leg-spinner Rashid Khan for 14.But Harry Tector and Dockrell then held their nerve as Ireland won with three wickets down.

cricket win Paul Stirling Mark Adair Andy Balbirnie George Dockrell Mohammad Nabi Ibrahim Zadran Mujeeb Ur Ireland Afghanistan

Kusal Mendis' fiery start and a key lower-order knock by Bhanuka Rajapaksa powered Sri Lanka to a four-wicket win over Afghanistan in their Asia Cup Super 4 contest on Saturday. Set 176 for victory, Sri Lanka leaned on an attacking 62-run opening stand between Pathum Nissanka (35) and Mendis (36) to achieve their target with five balls to spare at Sharjah. Afghanistan's bowlers got regular wickets to dent Sri Lanka's middle-order but Rajapaksa's 31 off 14 balls and a quickfire 16 not out from Wanindu Hasaranga helped them achieve the highest chase at the desert venue.

Despite all odds, the rise and rise of Afghanistan in T20Is

Before the start of the ongoing edition of the Asia Cup, most cricket experts were expecting Afghanistan to put up strong performances - and they lived up to that billing - beating both Sri Lanka (by 8 wickets) and then Bangladesh (by 7 wickets) to become the first team to qualify for the Super Four stage. The Afghans, who are currently ranked 10th on the ICC T20I team rankings, will now be up against Sri Lanka in the first Super Four match on Saturday, September 3 after the island nation clinched a thrilling two-wicket win over Bangladesh on Thursday to knock the Bangla Tigers out of the tournament. The two rather big wins against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (both ranked higher than Afghanistan in the T20 team rankings at 8 & 9 respectively) can't really be called upsets, considering just how much the Afghanistan T20I team has steadily improved.

'Quality' Afghanistan ready for Asia Cup heavyweights

Afghanistan is ready for the big guns after they became the first team to qualify for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup following victories over Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. "As a team in this Asia Cup we are showing that Afghanistan have quality batsmen, quality bowlers and quality fielders," said all-rounder Nabi after Afghanistan thrashed Bangladesh by seven wickets on Tuesday. "In these two games we showed we can chase totals. Earlier opposition used to say that Afghanistan cannot chase. "But we were quite good (in the two chases), were not under pressure and had proper balance and hopefully we do well in the next round against big teams," added the 37-year-old. Afghanistan's victory over Bangladesh in Sharjah put them into the next round of the six-nation Twenty20 tournament.

Watch: Afghanistan Dressing Room's Emphatic Celebrations After Win Over Bangladesh In Asia Cup To Reach Super 4

Najibullah Zadran stole the show on Tuesday as Afghanistan overwhelmed Bangladesh by 7 wickets to seal progress to the Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 stage. Chasing a 128-run target, Afghanistan were tottering at 62 for 3 at one stage in the game when Najibullah arrived at the crease and joined hands with Ibrahim Zadran. What followed next was an unbeaten 69-run partnership off only 33 balls between the duo, helping Afghanistan win the game quite easily. Najibullah hit a stunning 43 not out off 17 balls, while Ibrahim scored an unbeaten 42 off 41 balls.

T20 leagues making up for Afghanistan's scant international exposure, says Rashid

Stints in Twenty20 leagues across the world have helped most Afghanistan players to cope with the lack of international cricket, star spinner Rashid Khan said.

Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, Asia Cup Match: Afghanistan Squad's T20 Stats

A match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on Saturday will serve as the curtain raiser for the Asia Cup 2022. Both the sides will be aiming to start the tournament on a winning note as their group seems to be a really competitive one, given the third team that will be their opponent in the group is Bangladesh. Only two teams out of the three could advance to the Super 4s. Afghanistan will try and fancy their chances to earn at least one of the top two spots in the group by the end of the round-robin stage.