Afghanistan v Ireland, 5th ODI, Greater Noida - Preview
An all-round star act from Kevin O’Brien on Wednesday has ensured the One-Day International series between Ireland and Afghanistan is intriguingly poised at 2-2 going into the final match in Greater Noida on Friday (March 24).
O’Brien, who limped off the field on 9 with a hamstring injury, returned with his side in some trouble at 130 for 6 to smash an unbeaten 72 and complete a chase of 221 with three wickets to spare. This after packing off the Afghanistan top order to reduce them to 11 for 3 and finishing with returns of 4 for 26 in his seven overs.
The allrounder’s heroics, however, might have come at a price. O’Brien had missed the two previous matches with hamstring trouble, and seems to have aggravated the injury.
“It’s the same hamstring injury unfortunately, which doesn’t look too good,” he said after the game. “We’ll reassess it in the next 12-24 hours to see where we go.”
If O’Brien is absent, it will put added pressure on the Ireland top order. While there have been some individual highlights for the visiting side, the batsmen have been unable to click in tandem and build steady partnerships.
The tendency to lose wickets in clumps, however, has been an ailment for both sides this series. Afghanistan’s scores of 292 and 338 in the first two ODIs seem far in the past. Since then, the top order has had its share of inconsistencies, with only determined damage control by the lower-middle order and tail – Shafiqullah has been a particularly stabilising influence – helping the side put up fighting totals.
In the third ODI, it had slipped to 97 for 6 before a rearguard action carried it to 264, while on Wednesday, it found itself 83 for 7 before finally posting 220.
Both teams will thus look to their bowlers to go for the kill on an increasingly tired surface, having done the early running and built up pressure.
Much of the onus will once again be on Rashid Khan, the best bowler of the series with 12 wickets from his four matches. Ireland has succeeded in the two matches when it has taken Rashid out of the equation; an 18-run over off the young legspinner was crucial in turning things around for it in the fourth game.
Dawlat Zadran has been another consistent performer with the ball for Afghanistan, with nine wickets so far. That Mohammad Nabi, who ran through the Ireland batting with 4 for 30, too is among the wickets will come as a boost for Afghanistan, who will expect much of them in the final game.
Having won the T20 Internationals 3-0, the Asian Associate will be keen to wrap up another series win and carry that confidence into the crucial Intercontinental Cup match to follow.
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.