Harry Tector shines as Ireland beat Afganistan in first T20I

Harry Tector's unbeaten half-century helped Ireland to a 38-run victory in the first T20 international against Afghanistan in Sharjah.

Tector's fifth T20I half-century propelled Ireland to 149-6 batting first, the 24-year-old helping his side bulldoze 58 runs from the final five overs and give his bowlers a strong total to defend.

They did so in style, with White excelling on his first outing since the end of last summer. His four overs resulted in figures of 4-20, the Munster Reds leg-spinner ripping through the Afghan middle-order to stun the crowd and ensure Ireland went 1-0 up in the three match T20I series.

Returning from injury, Ben White wasn't the only new face in the Irish ranks in terms of this tour; Josh Little also returned to the bowling attack alongside all-rounder Gareth Delany and left-hand batter Neil Rock (who came in after George Dockrell withdrew with illness).

The hosts, meanwhile, welcomed captain Rashid Khan into the fold for the first time since the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, following which he had back surgery. Khan's first point of business was to win the toss and put Ireland into bat.

1️⃣➖0️⃣

A superb all-round performance puts us ahead in the three-match T20I series with a 38-run win. Tector's half-century (56*) and White's best T20I figures (4-20) were the standouts but everyone played their part.

▪️ Afghanistan 111 (18.4 overs)
▪️ Ireland 149-6 (20 overs)… pic.twitter.com/MOzQVR9dHS

Andrew Balbirnie (22) and skipper Paul Stirling (25) made a bright start, but Afghanistan's spinners soon came to the fore.

Following Balbirnie's dismissal, Lorcan Tucker became the first of two scalps for 19-year-old Nangeyalia Kharote either side of Khan removing Stirling and Curtis Campher with successive