Afghanistan Beat Ireland in 4th ODI to Take 2-1 Series lead

Afghanistan won the fourth match of the Five-One Day International series against Ireland after beating them by 109 runs in Dehradun to take 2-1 series lead on Friday.  

Opting to bat first after winning the toss Afghanistan top order batsmen were struggled to build a partnership.  At one stage the hosts were six down for 81 in 18th over.

The 50-run partnership between the captain Asghar Afghan and all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, however, pulled things back for Afghanistan. Asghar Afghan scored 54 off 70 balls before being run-out by Dockrell in 33rd over of the match  

After losing the captain,  Mohammad Nabi found another reliable partner Rashid Khan at number 8th. The pair added vital 86 runs more to the total on a turning and bouncy track where the top order found it difficult to negotiate the ball.

Nabi lost his wicket while attempting to go big against J. Cameron-Dow in the 47th over. He scored 64 off 85 balls.

Thereafter, the game was set for Rashid Khan to hit some boundaries and add some crucial runs to the total.  But he could not do much after losing Nabi at the other hand. However, he managed to play a crucial knock of 52 off 58 balls.  In the end, Afghanistan posted 223  in 50 overs.

In chase of the target, Ireland, however, didn’t help their cause, losing wickets in clumps after a steady opening stand of 31.

 The visitors lost three for eight in the beginning and there was another dramatic collapse in the middle, which saw them lose six for 30. Seven batsmen were out either bowled or lbw suggesting that while the Afghanistan bowlers kept things simple by bowling within the stumps, a lot of the batsmen succumbed to cross-batted shots, which weren’t a great option with the ball keeping low.

Aftab Alam took four wickets, while Rashid Khan who named player of the match, took two wickets.  Mujib Rahman took two wickets and Mohammad Nabi got one wicket.

With the win, Afghanistan took a two-one lead in the five-match series with a final match to be played on Sunday (March 10).