AFG vs IRE Match Preview
Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi are going to be a real handful for Ireland to handle even though Melbourne has been a lot more pace-friendly so far. Fareed Ahmad and Fazalhaq Farooqi have been quite good also showing that Afghanistan has a nice well-rounded bowling attack.
Ibrahim Zadran is the one batter that is capable of scoring runs on bouncy surfaces and Rahmanullah Gurbaz can also throw his bat around. The rest of the batting is not very dependable.
For Ireland, Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, and Lorcan Tucker have all been in good touch. They have taken the game to the bowlers and struck form at the right time.
Balbirnie is perhaps the best player of spin in this lineup alongside Harry Tector but the latter has not been able to get any sort of momentum. Joshua Little, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, and Fionn Hand were impressive on a helpful surface in Melbourne against England. That knowledge could come in very handy in this match.
Weather Report
There is rain predicted in Melbourne but the forecast is not as bad as what we saw when Afghanistan was scheduled to play against New Zealand. We should hopefully be able to get a result.
Pitch Report
The pitch is fresh and there is a decent amount of grass on the surface. This has meant more pace and bounce in Melbourne than we usually get to see. The fast bowlers have been hard to face and early wickets are often lost in the powerplay. Spin, expected to play a big role in Melbourne, has been attacked towards the short straight boundaries.
Notable stats
Captain Leading the Way
Andrew Balbirnie is one of the best players of spin in Ireland. He is also in good form and has struck the most sixes (5) for Ireland in the T20 World Cup 2022 so far.
Team News
We don't expect any changes in either side for this match.
AFG vs IRE Probable 11
AFG Playing 11
- Hazratullah Zazai
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wk)
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Usman Ghani
- Najibullah Zadran
- Mohammad Nabi (C)
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Rashid Khan
- Mujeeb ur Rahman
- Hareed Ahmad
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
IRE Playing 11
- Paul Stirling
- Andrew Balbirnie (C)
- Lorcan Tucker (Wk)
- Harry Tector
- Curtis Campher
- George Dockrell
- George Delany
- Mark Adair
- Barry McCarthy
- Foinn Hand
- Joshua Little
Dream11 Prediction
We think Ireland has a great chance of continuing its dream run in the T20 World Cup. It has the conditions on its side and its recent form is excellent as well.
Top Picks
Mujeeb ur Rahman - He has taken 18 wickets in 12 innings against Ireland. He is also in great form when it comes to this edition of the T20 World Cup. A popular choice but someone we will definitely have in our Dream11 team.
Barry McCarthy - This is one player that can be a differentiator in your Dream11 lineup. He bowled with good pace and bounce against England. We think he could be a handful for Afghanistan in this contest.
Lorcan Tucker - Another player that will not be very highly owned. Tucker has been threatening to play a big inning for quite some time now. This could be the occasion where he finally comes to the party.
AFG vs IRE Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: L Tucker, R Gurbaz
Batters: P Stirling, A Balbirnie (C), I Zadran
All-rounders: M Nabi, G Delany, C Campher, F Farooqi
Bowlers: B McCarthy, Mujeeb ur Rahman (VC)
