111/10 (18.4)
CR : 5.95
149/6 (20.0)
CR : 7.45
Ireland won by 38 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Ben White
4/20
01:08 IST and 23:38 Local Time | Ireland have done it. They have won the first T20I against Afghanistan by a massive 38 runs, having dominated their adversaries over the 40 overs.
Defending a total of 149, the Irish pacers were on fire, especially Joshua Little (3/18), who swung the ball viciously, as the Afghans were reduced to 4/3 inside the second over. A fightback was initiated by Mohammad Ishaq (31 off 22), who at one point hit 31 off 22.
But wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals as Benjamin White (4/20) spun a web around the Afghans with his leg spin, at one time being on a hat-trick. Barry McCarthy also used his extra bounce to good effect to claim important wickets. Mohammad Nabi's 25 off 21 was not enough as the asking rate kept on rising, in the end, Afghanistan were bowled out in their pursuit of the target.
Earlier, Ireland were put into bat and were in a spot of bother as the returning Rashid Khan (3/19) and debutant Nangeyalia Kharote (2/16) mixed up their contrasting spin bowling to wreak havoc in the middle overs. Ireland had got off to a decent start through experienced campaigners Paul Stirling (25 off 27) and Andrew Balbirnie (22 off 14) before the troubles began.
But Harry Tector (56 off 34), who also picked up four catches, survived the onslaught and a reprieve at 19, to open up, go for the big hits, placing the ball immaculately and timing it as well to help the Irish score more than 50 in the last five with Mark Adair. Those runs proved crucial in the final equation.
Defending a total of 149, the Irish pacers were on fire, especially Joshua Little (3/18), who swung the ball viciously, as the Afghans were reduced to 4/3 inside the second over. A fightback was initiated by Mohammad Ishaq (31 off 22), who at one point hit 31 off 22.
But wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals as Benjamin White (4/20) spun a web around the Afghans with his leg spin, at one time being on a hat-trick. Barry McCarthy also used his extra bounce to good effect to claim important wickets. Mohammad Nabi's 25 off 21 was not enough as the asking rate kept on rising, in the end, Afghanistan were bowled out in their pursuit of the target.
Earlier, Ireland were put into bat and were in a spot of bother as the returning Rashid Khan (3/19) and debutant Nangeyalia Kharote (2/16) mixed up their contrasting spin bowling to wreak havoc in the middle overs. Ireland had got off to a decent start through experienced campaigners Paul Stirling (25 off 27) and Andrew Balbirnie (22 off 14) before the troubles began.
But Harry Tector (56 off 34), who also picked up four catches, survived the onslaught and a reprieve at 19, to open up, go for the big hits, placing the ball immaculately and timing it as well to help the Irish score more than 50 in the last five with Mark Adair. Those runs proved crucial in the final equation.
Time for the post match presentations.
Stylish Player of the Match- Joshua Little
Most Sixes of the Day- Harry Tector
Player of the Match- Ben White
Ben White (Player of the Match)- "It is really nice to contribute to the team's victory. It is also nice to come back after having a serious injury. I tried to bowl as per my strengths and it is always nice to change the game by taking a few wickets."
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan captain): "The early wickets that we lost made the difference in this match. But the series is still on and we are hoping to make a strong comeback."
Paul Stirling (Ireland Captain)- "We are really happy to get the result today. It is a huge win for us and what makes it more special is that we have won the game. We have two more games left in this series and hopefully we will continue the momentum. Our boys have played good cricket and they are getting the appreciations. We had a great game tonight. I think we have to perform our best in the remaining two games. As a team we did superbly and have to continue this."
So we hope you enjoyed our coverage of that hard-fought T20I between the two great rivals, Afghanistan and Ireland. It is time for me Sourya Chowdhury to bid you adieu on behalf of me, my fellow commentator Saptak Sanyal and our scorer/analyst Ghanendra Singh Thakur. See you soon.