Rahmat, Rashid guide Afghanistan to series win

Rahmat Shah's second One-Day International century gave Afghanistan a series-winning seven-wicket victory in the fifth and final game against Ireland in Greater Noida on Friday (March 24). The result meant Afghanistan, the home side, took the series 3-2 despite Ireland having fought back from a 2-0 deficit to pull level.

Batting first, Ireland was bowled out for 229 in 48.1 overs with Rashid Khan, the leg-spinner, picking up 4 for 29. That made Rashid the fourth Afghanistan bowler to get to 50 wickets in ODI cricket after Mohammad Nabi, Dawlat Zadran and Hamid Hasan. Afghanistan then crossed the line with eight balls to spare as Rahmat (108 not out) and Samiullah Shenwari (62 not out) made big contributions.

Afghanistan was struggling at 25 for 2 in eight overs, having lost Mohammad Shahzad and Najeeb Tarakai to some sensational catching. Shahzad was snapped up at point by a diving William Porterfield off Stuart Thompson, while substitute Barry McCarthy ran many yards to his right from long-on to hold on to a miscue from Tarakai.

However, a 73-run stand for the third wicket between Rahmat and Asghar Stanikzai revived the chase and put Afghanistan back on track. The two of them kept the scoring rate at a decent mark and built a solid platform before Stanikzai hit George Dockrell to long-off. The Afghanistan captain had hit Dockrell for two sixes in the previous five balls he faced off the left-arm spinner, but fell going for the third.

That, though, would be Ireland's last success of the day as it brought together Rahmat and Shenwari. The two gradually took the game away from Porterfield's men with an unbroken 133-run stand.

While Shenwari was the aggressor, taking a special liking to the spinners, Rahmat was solid before playing a few shots as Afghanistan got closer to the target. He reached his century in the 48th over, steering Tim Murtagh to third man for a couple.

In a final throw of the dice, with ten runs needed off the last 12 balls, Porterfield threw the ball to Dockrell. It only resulted in a swift end as Rahmat fittingly finished the game with a straight six.

Earlier, Ireland opted to bat first and got off to a good start before Afghanistan's spinners, led by Rashid, inspired a fightback. On a pitch that was good for batting, Ed Joyce and Paul Stirling added a steady 69 runs for the opening wicket before Rashid bowled the former through the gate with a big leg-break in the 15th over.

Stirling, however, carried on to bring up his fourth half-century of the series and took Ireland past 100 before missing a straight one from Gulbadin Naib to lose his stumps in the 23rd over.

Porterfield and Niall O'Brien kept Ireland going through the middle overs with a steady 40-run partnership but the floodgates opened once the former fell caught behind to Fareed Ahmad. It was the opening that Rashid needed, and the Ireland captain's dismissal resulted in a collapse thanks to some terrific bowling backed up by impressive catching.

Rashid first had Andy Balbirnie caught splendidly by Shafiqullah running in from deep mid-wicket before Shenwari pouched a stunner diving to his left at extra cover when Thompson drove Rashid on the up. Between the two dismissals, Zadran delivered an unplayable yorker to uproot Gary Wilson's stumps, derailing Ireland's innings. It required a run-a-ball 21 from Dockrell late in the innings to take Ireland past 200 before it was bowled out short of its 50-over quota.