Afghanistan dominated the second ODI against Ireland, winning by 117 runs and sealing the series 2-0. In the match, Afghanistan scored 236/9 in their innings, with key performances from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mohammad Nabi.
Nabi not only contributed with a crucial 48 runs but also shone with the ball, taking five wickets to secure victory. Ireland faced a challenging chase, needing 118 runs to win from 15 overs but fell short. This victory for Afghanistan marked a strong performance, showcasing their prowess in the series.
Ireland were well in the game till 18th over when they already had scored 77 runs, only 160 needed more with 9 wickets in hand to level the series against Afghanistan. However, a drastic capitulation followed after Paul Stirling was dismissed by Mohammad Nabi.
No subsequent Irish batter could touch the double figure mark. Most of them being soft dismissals, it appeared that Ireland exposed its own weakness by not playing spinners effectively.
19 years old Nangyal Kharoti was the pioneer of Irish downfall in the match. Irish middle order failed to the spinning web of Kharoti as he picked 4 wickets in his 9 overs.
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Nabi who earlier scored 48 runs, later picked 5 wickets for 17 runs in his 10 overs spell with 3 maiden overs. In the end, it was an easy win for the home side who were brutally beaten by Sri Lanka in three match ODI series two weeks ago.
Definitely, it will bring some confidence to Afghanistan and for Ireland, T20I series will present another opportunity to make a decisive comeback. It is to be noted that Ireland won the solitary test match played between two teams which was their first win in red ball format.
After the match, Hashmatullah Shaidi sai, “Very happy about the performance of the team and congratulate my team for the win.”
He also praised having Mohammad Nabi in the team: “He is amazing player and as a senior guy, he is 40 years old I think and he always contributes in batting and bowling, while fielding also, what can I say about him! He is an inspiration while fielding as well.”
The two teams will continue their competition with three T20 matches scheduled on March 15, 17, and 18 in Sharjah after Ireland’s previous win in the one-off test match.
