Afghanistan humiliate Ireland in 1st ODI game
sharjah — Rashid Khan played a stellar role with the bat and ball, but it was Mujeeb Zadran who walked away with the player of the match award after his four wickets helped Afghanistan trounce Ireland by 138 runs in the first game of the three-match ODI series of the Alokozay Ginseng Energy Cup being played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Put into bat by Ireland captain William Porterfield, the Afghans stuttered in the beginning after two wickets fell for 22 runs. But Rahmat Shah and Nasir Jamal stitched together 105 runs for the third wicket to bail the team out of a deep hole.
Rahmat struck 50 from 75 balls with three fours and a six, while Nasir contributed 53 from 63 balls with two boundaries and a six.
Later Rashid Khan stroked a run-a-ball 48 with four hits to the ropes and one which sailed over it. Shafiqullah played a cameo, hitting
J. Ahmadi c & b Murtagh I. Janat c N. O’Brien b Rankin R. Shah c N. O’Brien b Rankin N. Jamal c Wilson b Murtagh A. Stanikzai b Rankin M. Nabi run out (Dockrell, Rankin) G. Naib c Stirling b Murtagh R. Khan c Dockrell b K. O’Brien S. Shafiq c K. O’Brien b Rankin D. Zadran not out
(lb-6 w-5)
1-12, 2-22, 3-127, 4-130, 5-130, 6-132, 7-175, 8-230, 9-238.
T. Murtagh 10-2-28-3, G. Dockrell 9-0-57-0, B. Rankin 10-1-44-4 (w-1), K. O’Brien 10-1-50-1 (w-3), S. Singh 5-0-36-0, P. Stirling 6-0-17-0.
36 from 23 balls which had three sixes and an equal number of fours to guide Afghanistan to 238 for 9 in 50 overs.
Sixteen-year-old off-spinner Mujeeb Zadran then took 4 for 24 — the joint-best figures for an Afghan bowler on ODI debut — and
W. Porterfield c Naib b Nabi P. Stirling lbw b Mujeeb A. Balbirnie b Mujeeb N. O’Brien c Ahmadi b Dawlat G. Wilson b Mujeeb K. O’Brien b Mujeeb S. Singh lbw b Rashid S. Poynter not out G. Dockrell c Shafiq b Dawlat B. Rankin c Janat b Rashid T. Murtagh c Shah b Rashid
(b2, lb1, w4) Dawlat 6-3-13-2 (3w), Mujeeb 10-2-24-4 (1w), Naib 3-0-11-0 (1w), Nabi 5-014-1, Rashid 6.4-0-28-3, Ahmadi 1-0-7-0 Afghanistan won by 138 runs Ireland, who chose to field
teenage leg-spinner Rashid Khan scalped 3 for 28 to help dismiss Ireland for 100 in 31.4 overs.
Only William Porterfield (35) and Stuart Poynter (27 not out) stood out for Ireland with the bat.
The second match is also in Sharjah on Thursday.