2024-03-16 22:55:47
More than 120 days as days, four months as months. After a long time, Rashid Khan showed his normal game after returning to the national team jersey. But Afghanistan could not win the match even on Rashid’s brilliant bowling day. They lost the first match of the three-match T20 series against Ireland by 38 runs.
Ireland lost the toss and went to bat first. The two openers Paul Stirling and Andrew Balberney gave the team a great start. Azmatullah Omarzai stopped Balburni with 22 runs from 14 balls and scored 38 runs. The run rate of the Irish slowed down after that.
Rashid came in to bowl at the end of the power play. Rashid who gave 5 runs in the first over came back to the attack after 10 overs. That put the Irish under more pressure. After returning the experienced Stirling for 25, he bowled the dangerous Curtis Camper.
However, Harry Tector counterattacked after Rashid’s injury. Tector ended up unbeaten on 56 off 34 balls. That gives Ireland the capital to fight against. They scored 149 runs in 7 wickets in 20 overs.
Rashid bowled 4 overs and took 3 wickets for 19 runs. 19-year-old left-arm spinner Kharot took 2 wickets for 16 runs in 4 overs.
Afghanistan lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz on the first ball of the innings in a run chase. He was returned by Mark Adair. In the next over, Josh Little went back to Sadiqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai. The Afghans could not handle the shock of losing three wickets in two overs.
After losing wickets at regular intervals, Mohammad Ishaq (32 from 22 balls) and experienced Mohammad Nabi (21 balls 25) tried to fight a bit in the middle order. But both were stopped by Ben White. Later, Ijaz Ahmed Ahmedzai (16) and Kharote were also dismissed by this leggie. The Afghans were bowled out for 111 runs in 18.4 overs.
White bowled brilliantly for the Irish. The 25-year-old leg-spinner tasted 4 wickets for the first time in his T20 career. Along with White, Josh Little also bowled brilliantly. The left-handed pacer took 3 wickets with 18 runs in 4 overs.
The next two matches of the series are on Sunday and Monday, in Sharjah.