Ireland will take on Afghanistan in the all-important fifth T20 at Belfast which will also be a decider of the series. Ireland started off the series with brilliant wins in first 2 games but Afghanistan pulled things back in style with back-to-back wins in 4th and 5th T20 to make it 2-all going into the 5th T20.
The 4th T20 was a match reducted to 11 overs per side. After winning the toss, Ireland opted to bowl first anf the decision backfired as the visiting team slammed 132/6 in just 11 overs. Najibullah Zadran was the start for Afghanistan with the bat, as he smashed 50 off just 24 balsl that included 4 fours and 3 sixes. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was also excellent in his short stay as he hit 24 off just 13 balls, that included 3 fours and 2 sixes. All-rounder Rashid Khan provided the finishing touch with a 30 scored just off 10 balls that included 1 four and 3 sixes.
Stormont plays host to the last home international of the summer. With the series evenly poised, you won’t want to miss it!
__ https://t.co/u83EcQ8QJC (Adults _10 | U-16s FREE.)#BackingGreen | #Exchange22 | #ABDIndiaSterlingReserve ___ pic.twitter.com/a6FQK7Ecvy— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) August 16, 2022
Ireland never looked like going well in the chase as they kept on losing wickets at regular intervals. Due to the ever-growing run-rate pressure, the home team batters had to go for shots and eventually lost their wickets. In the end, they were bowed out for 105, losing the game by 27 runs. Their top-scorer was George Dockrell who scored an unbeaten 41 off 27 balls that had four boundaries amd 2 sixes.
Fareed Ahmed Malik was the best bowler on show for Afghanistan with figures of 3 for 14 from his 2 overs. Next best were Rashid Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq. Whils Rashid picked 2 wickets for just 21 runs from his 3, Naveen scalped 2 wickets as well from his 2 overs although he went for 25 runs.
Ireland vs Afghanistan Dream 11 Prediction:
Captain: Najibullah Zadran
Vice-captain: George Dockrell
Suggested Playing XI for Ireland vs Afghanistan 3rd T20 International Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Batter: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran
Wicket-keeper: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
All-rounders: Najibullah Zadran, George Dockrell
Bowlers: Joshua Little, Mark Adair, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq
Possible Playing 11s:
Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Fionn Hand, Mark Adair, Graham Hume, Joshua Little.
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad.