Asghar Afghan hails pacers, fielding after series win

After deciding to bat first at the Civil Service Cricket Stadium, the hosts were bundled out within 37 overs for a total of just 124. Fast bowlers Aftab Alam and Gulbadin Naib bowled well up front and dismissed the first four batsmen.

The spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi then took control, taking five wickets between them. Gary Wilson, with a 36-ball 23, was Ireland's highest run-scorer.

“I will give credit to our fast bowlers. They were very good today. I will give credit to our fielding also. I [thank] all the Afghanistan supporters, especially to the ones who came and supported us,” said Afghan, who also claimed a wicket with his medium pace.

“We knew early on was the best time to bat on a surface like that, and that it would slow up as the game went on, but we just didn’t get enough runs to provide a challenge,” said Ireland skipper William Porterfield.

"We knew, looking at the first two games, that we needed to get a good total on the board – it was never going to be a high-scoring affair. Losing those three [early] wickets in the space of a couple of runs put us on the back foot. We knew from there we’d have to play well to get back into it and Kevin [O’Brien] and Simi [Singh] showed a glimpse of that with a good partnership."

The visitors completed the chase in a dominant batting display, getting past the 124-run total in less than 24 overs. They lost Mohammad Shehzad in the second over of the chase, but a 62-ball 57* from his opening partner, Ihsanullah Janat, guided them to the target with relative ease. The right-hander was supported well by middle-order batsmen Rahmat Shah (35-ball 33) and Hashmatullah Shahid- (44-ball 34*).

Rashid Khan, who is at No.2 in the MRF Tyres ICC Player Rankings for bowlers in ODI cricket, shone with the ball once again to clinch three wickets in the game and eight through the series. He was adjudged the Player of the Series for his consistent performances.

"It is a pleasure for me to get Player of the Series in these conditions. Pitch isn't helpful here. I really enjoyed myself in the series," he said.