Sport
Afghanistan clinch ODI series over Ireland 2-0
Afghanistan took an unassailable 2-0 series lead over Ireland thanks to a seven-wicket haul in their second ODI in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Rahmat Shah made a 103-ball century and shared a match-winning third-wicket partnership of 184 with Hashmatullah Shahidi as the Afghans easily chased down Ireland’s total of 259, BBC reported.
The result came in spite of Paul Stirling’s 11th ODI hundred.
Ireland’s Stirling made 128 off 133 balls to propel Ireland towards a reasonable total before a loss of six wickets in the final 10 overs stifled their progress.
Afghanistan reached the required 260 with nearly five overs to spare, led by the brilliant Rahmat.
In addition to winning the series, Afghanistan also secured another 10 World Cup Super League points which sees them move clear of Ireland in the race to book an automatic spot at the 2023 tournament.
Afghanistan’s victory in the first ODI on Thursday was down largely to the opening partnership between debut centurion Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Javed Ahmadi.