Afghanistan makes strong reply

Afghanistan, powered by three half-centuries, made a strong reply to Ireland's 405 when it reached 263-3 at stumps on the second day of the four-day first-class ICC Intercontinental Cup 2009-10 match in Dambulla on Friday.

Captain Nowroz Mangal top scored for the Asian side with a classy 84, Noor Ali scored an attacking 53 while Mohammad Shahzad was batting on a rapid 60. When play ended, Shabir Noori was the other not out batsman on a sedate 44.

The two batsmen have so far put on 85 runs for the unfinished fourth wicket with Shahzad dominating the stand and Noori playing more of an anchor's role. Shahzad's 62-ball innings includes 11 fours while Shabir has faced 153 balls so far during his watchful and careful innings that includes five fours.

Opener Karim Sadiq was the only batsman to falter when chipped in with 19 but more importantly he featured in a 72-run first wicket partnership with Noor Ali who hit nine fours in a 71-ball innings.

After Karim and Noor departed in a space of two runs, Nowroz and Shabbir added 104 runs for the third wicket with the captain clobbering 16 fours in a 114-ball 84.

Earlier, Ireland resumed its first innings at the overnight score of 324-7 and was bowled out for 405 after facing 20 overs on the second morning in which it added 81 runs.

John Mooney, who had started the day on five, remained unbeaten on 58 from 90 balls with nine fours. Together with Peter Connell (18), Mooney added 66 runs for the 10th wicket.

For Afghanistan, Samiullah Shenwari finished as the pick of bowlers with 4-75 while Hameed Hasan claimed 3-91.

Scores in brief:

Ireland 405 all out, 98 overs (William Porterfield 78, John Mooney 58 not out, Gary Wilson 53, Niall O'Brien 66, Andrew White 43, Alex Cusack 39; Samiullah Shenwari 4-75, Hameed Hasan 3-91)

Afghanistan 263-3, 74 overs (Nowroz Mangal 84, Mohammad Shahzad 60 not out, Noor Ali 53, Shabir Noori 44 not out)

Umpires - TH Wijewardena and Manmore Martinez

Live scoreboard is available at http://www.icc-cricket.com/match_zone/scorecard.php?matchId=32256

Forthcoming matches:

ICC INTERCONTINENTAL CUP

25-28 Jan - Kenya v Scotland, Kenya

17-20 Feb - Afghanistan v Canada, UAE

20-23 Feb - Kenya v Netherlands, Nairobi

10-13 Jun - Netherlands v Scotland, Netherlands

11-14 Aug - Scotland v Afghanistan, Scotland

11-14 Aug - Ireland v Netherlands, Ireland

21-24 Aug - Canada v Zimbabwe XI, Canada

1-4 Sep - Canada v Ireland, Canada

1-4 Sep - Netherlands v Zimbabwe XI, Netherlands

2-5 Oct - Kenya v Afghanistan, Kenya

6-9 Oct - Zimbabwe XI v Ireland, Africa

13-16 Oct - Zimbabwe XI v Scotland, Africa

25-29 Nov - FINAL (five days), UAE

ICC INTERCONTINENTAL SHIELD

20-23 Jan - UAE v Uganda, UAE

2-5 Apr - Namibia v Bermuda, Namibia

5-8 Jul - Bermuda v UAE, Bermuda

18-21 Sep - Uganda v Namibia, Uganda

25-28 Nov - FINAL, UAE

The exact venues for these fixtures have not yet been finalised.

The latest points table for the tournament so far can be found at http://www.icc-cricket.com/events_and_awards/intercontinental_cup/index.php.

There will be a total of US$250,000 in prize money for the Associate and Affiliate teams taking part in the ICC Intercontinental Cup with US$100,000 for the winners and US$40,000 for the runners-up.

Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event then evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.

This year's format include seven teams (Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland and Zimbabwe XI), while the new competition, the ICC Intercontinental Shield, involves the four teams below that, namely Bermuda, Namibia, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates.

Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in all three events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider, Canada in the 2006-07 event and Namibia in 2007-08.

Go to http://www.icc-cricket.com/events_and_awards/intercontinental_cup/index.php to find out more.