Afghanistan were handed a shocking defeat by Ireland in the first T20I of the series.
Afghanistan were handed a shocking 38-run defeat from Ireland in the first T20I of the series played at Sharjah. Afghanistan chose to field first on a slowish surface in which their spinners were expected to play a big role. For Afghanistan, bowling all-rounder made his T20I debut.
The Afghan spinners tied down the Irish batters and never allowed them to get ahead of the game. Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, and Mohammad Nabi combined for 5-44 in their collective 10 overs. Harry Tector was the only Irish batter who looked comfortable and he enabled Ireland to post a competitive 149-6.
Returning from a surgery, captain Rashid Khan produced wonderful figures of 3-19 in his four overs while the debutant Kharote impressed with figures of 2-16.
Chasing a modest target of 150, Afghan batters started poorly as they lost 3 wickets for the first four runs on the board. They lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bundled out for a meagre 111 in just 18.4 overs. For Ireland, leg-spinner Benjamin White picked up 4 wickets while left-arm seamer Josh Little took three wickets.
Afghanistan’s poor batting performance was a surprising one as they were expected to chase down the target given their experience in these conditions. Players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Azmatullah Omarzai were dimissed for golden ducks. Both of them are expected to play crucial roles in the upcoming IPL for their respective teams.
Gurbaz was dismissed off the first ball of Afghanistan’s innings. Fast bowler Mark Adair bowled a short ball first up which was angling in. Gurbaz went to hook but the extra bounce meant he got a top edge, which was taken well by Curtis Campher at fine leg.
Meanwhile, Omarzai was the third wicket to fall for Afghanistan when he was bowled by a superb delivery by Josh Little. The left-arm quick bowled on a good length on middle and off, while angling it across. But the ball went straight on after pitching, as the batter drove from off stump, and the ball went through the gap between bat and pad to hit middle and off.
Also read: Mumbai Indians fast bowlers doubtful for first few matches of IPL 2024
Gurbaz is an experienced IPL player, having played 11 games for Kolkata Knight Riders last season. On the other hand, Omarzai was signed by Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024 auction. This will be his maiden IPL season. In the absence of Hardik Pandya, GT is likely to field in Omarzai as the seam bowling all-rounder.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.
