Afghanistan v Ireland, 2nd ODI, Greater Noida – Preview

Rashid Khan, who made his international debut in 2015 soon after his 17th birthday, did not take long to establish himself as a big-match player. The fear, however, was that he would be found out early, but the manner in which he has taken his game to the next level in such a short span is remarkable. A fastish leg-spinner, much like Shahid Afridi, he has been the single biggest factor in Afghanistan’s recent dominance over Ireland.

Assisted by the surface at Greater Noida Sports Complex, Rashid took nine wickets in the 3-0 sweep in the Twenty20 International series, and then returned 4 for 48 as Afghanistan beat Ireland by 30 runs in the first One-Day International. He will again be expected to make an impression in the second ODI of the five-match series at the same venue on Friday (March 17).

Rashid’s second four-wicket haul, the first having come against the same opposition in Belfast in July 2016, was exceptional because of the situation of the match. Chasing 293, Ireland was cruising along through a 157-run second-wicket stand between Paul Stirling (68) and William Porterfield (119) when Rashid struck for the first time in the 29th over of the match. Once he had Stirling caught and bowled, the game opened up as none of the new batsmen were able to adjust to the surface. From 170 for 2, Ireland was bowled out for 262 in 46.5 overs, losing its last seven wickets for 56 runs.

Ireland’s biggest problem on the current tour has been the inability of the middle order to build on platforms. Admittedly, the conditions are unfamiliar, but the way it has faltered repeatedly has been remarkable – to put things in perspective, only two Ireland batsmen scored more than 100 runs in the T20I series.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, has been completely at home. Having beaten Zimbabwe often in the last two years, it has understood its game better. In the first ODI against Ireland, the batting revolved around Rahmat Shah’s 78. While he starred with four fours and three sixes, as many as five other batsmen contributed with handy knocks to ensure that the advantage was never lost.

It has also been greatly helped by the newfound confidence in the unit after Rashid and Mohammad Nabi became the first two Afghanistan players to be bought in the Indian Premier League auction recently. Like Rashid, Nabi, who has been a part of all 39 Afghanistan ODI wins to date, has been on a different plane in recent times.

Nowhere was his influence felt more than in the third T20I against Ireland. His 30-ball 89 enabled the clean sweep, and he carried that form into the first ODI to make an unbeaten 34 off just 19 balls – very crucial in the context of the game.

Rashid and Nabi will hope to produce more impactful performances in the remaining games to catch the attention of Sunrisers Hyderabad – the franchise they will be representing in the IPL – while Ireland must find a way to stop the rampaging Afghans to keep its hopes of returning home with a few wins alive.

Teams (from)
Afghanistan: Asghar Stanikzai (capt), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Amir Hamza, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Samiullah Shenwari, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Fareed Ahmad, Ihsanullah Janat, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Dawlat Zadran, Karim Janat, Aftab Alam.
Ireland: William Porterfield (capt), Gary Wilson (wk), Niall O’Brien, Kevin O’Brien, Ed Joyce, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, George Dockrell, Jacob Mulder, Tim Murtagh, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Stuart Thompson, Craig Young.