Star spinner Rashid Khan claimed six wickets as Afghanistan secured a comfortable 92-run win over Ireland in the second ODI of the five-match series at Bready Cricket Club. Notably, the first match of the series was called off due to rain and it affected the second contest as well.ย
The match was reduced to 47 overs per side after rain delayed the start. Returning from injury, Paul Stirling won the toss and elected to bowl first, while newly-appointed Afghanistan skipper Rahmat Shah wasnโt too unhappy. The idea behind choosing to bowl first was to use the overcast conditions well and Ireland bowlers struggled to make an impact.
Star opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz launched a scathing attack to start the day, scoring 32 runs. Ibrahim Zadran, on the other hand, was very stable in his approach, scoring 84 runs. He stitched a valuable 116-run partnership with Sediqullah Atal for the second wicket. Ibrahim reached his half-century from 52 balls in the 19th over before Atalโs dismissal ended the partnership in the 25th.
Ibrahim later added 43 with Rahmat Shah, while Azmatullah Omarzai and Darwish Rasooli contributed another 43-run stand. Afghanistan lost three wickets for 21 runs late in the innings, but Hashmatullah Shahidiโs 21-ball 36, which included four boundaries in the final two overs, pushed the visitors towards 300. However, they ended up posting one run short, finishing on 299 after the first innings.ย
What happened in the second innings?
Ireland matched Afghanistanโs Powerplay score of 65 for 1 despite losing Stirling early. Andy Balbirnie looked comfortable before Rashid removed him and Harry Tector in quick succession. Cade Carmichael kept Irelandโs chase alive with his maiden ODI fifty. He and Lorcan Tucker put together 38 before the latter was run out after losing sight of the ball during an LBW appeal. Carmichael fell in the following over, leaving Ireland 152 for 5.
Ben Calitz and Curtis Campher briefly revived the chase, combining for 41 runs in three overs. Rashid ended that resistance by dismissing Calitz, which triggered a collapse that saw Ireland lose their final four wickets for nine runs.
Rashid claimed three of those wickets to complete figures of 6-34 and put Afghanistan 1-0 ahead in the series. The third ODI will be played on Monday, August 10, at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast.
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