AFG vs IRE Match Preview
Even though the Afghans won their ODI series against the same outfit, they lost their last couple of T20I series against Sri Lankans and Indians. This team will be keen to return solidly from these debacles and do well in this series against a weaker opposition. The return of top spinners, such as their skipper Rashid Khan, must have bolstered Afghanistan's confidence. Afghanistan has done a commendable job against Ireland in the ODI series. Now, they will be expecting to build momentum for this T20I series.
The conditions in Sharjah will be favorable to the Afghanistan team, and they will know it. The Afghanistan openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, are in excellent form. The team will look for a good start from these openers. Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, and Ijaz Ahmadzai will be keen to contribute to the middle order. Afghanistan has a good bowling attack. Bowlers such as Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi will handle the new ball, while Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Azmatullah Omarzai will bowl the middle overs.
Irishmen struggled in the ODI series but will look to play hard against Afghanistan. The Ireland team found white ball cricket to be a challenging game on this tour. The absence of high-quality spinners is a significant chink in the armor in the Gulf conditions. It won't be easy to mount a strong challenge for Ireland against Afghanistan. The Irish team will be led by Paul Stirling in this T20I series. Their batters did not apply themselves in the ODI series. Stirling will look to get a strong showing from his batters.
Ireland is expected to start strongly with Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie at the helm. Top-order batting has been Ireland's weakness in this tour. Surprisingly, the middle order did well against Afghanistan spinners. Ireland will seek vital contributions from Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker, and Harry Tector. The return of Joshua Little has no doubt strengthened the Ireland batting line-up. He will pair with Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, and Gareth Delany to bowl the middle overs. Bowlers like Campher, Tector, and Young add more depth to this bowling attack.
Weather Report
This game will be played on Friday evening in Sharjah. You can expect bright and sunny conditions for this contest. The relative humidity will be on the lower side, and dry conditions will prevail. There is no possibility of getting showers during the encounter.
Pitch Report
The wicket at the Sharjah venue will be dry, but it does offer some assistance to the fast bowlers. The ground has small boundaries, so hitting boundaries and sixes is a distinct possibility for the batters. Overall, there will be something on the track for everyone, including spinners.
Notable stats
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has an excellent average-to-strike rate ratio in the batting department for Afghanistan.
In his last nine games, Gurbaz has scored runs with an average of 36 and a strike rate of 155.02.
Mark Adair has an excellent strike rate with the ball.
Mark Adair has taken 17 wickets in his last ten games, with a strike rate of 12.94.
Team News
This is a new series, and the teams have only just been announced. Therefore, there are no injury updates available for the game at the moment.
AFG vs IRE Probable 11
AFG Playing 11
- Rashid Khan (C)
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wk)
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Mohammad Nabi
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman
- Noor Ahmad
- Naveen-ul-Haq
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
- Nangyal Kharotai
- Ijaz Ahmadzai
IRE Playing 11
- Paul Stirling (C)
- Andrew Balbirnie
- Lorcan Tucker (Wk)
- Harry Tector
- Curtis Campher
- George Dockrell
- Mark Adair
- Gareth Delany
- Barry McCarthy
- Craig Young
- Joshua Little
Dream11 Prediction
The Afghanistan team has a better overall record against Ireland in the T20I format. They are playing in conditions they are aware of. The Ireland team is no slouch and can quickly derail the Afghanistan effort. We will bet with Afghanistan to win this contest and take an early lead in the series.
Top Picks
Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Gurbaz has scored 324 runs in his last nine games, with an average of 36 and a strike rate of 155.02.
Ibrahim Zadran: Zadran has been in good form recently, scoring 256 runs in his last nine contests for Afghanistan.
Mark Adair: Adair has been Ireland's leading bowler, picking up seventeen wickets from his last ten games.
Barry McCarthy: Barry McCarthy has taken 13 wickets in his last nine games, with a strike rate of 15.69.
AFG vs IRE Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: L Tucker , R Gurbaz (VC)
Batters: P Stirling, H Tector, I Zadran
All-rounders: M Nabi, M Adair, A Omarzai (C), C Campher
Bowlers: R Khan, F Farooqi
