Last Updated on 6 years by Charbel Coorey
Afghanistan vs Ireland 1st ODI Preview Dream11. AFG vs IRE 1st ODI Preview Dream11 Prediction
It has been an unbelievable day in the cricketing world.
Virat Kohli’s whirlwind 72* off 38 balls was bettered by Glenn Maxwell in Bangalore. Eoin Morgan’s 88-ball 103 was by far the slowest century in an incredible ODI, headlined by Jos Buttler and Chris Gayle in Grenada. Then, Tamim Iqbal believed that playing a Test should be not deterrent, scoring his own run-a-ball century in Hamilton.
So what does the first ODI between Afghanistan and Ireland have in store?
Afghanistan have been making their own headlines. The recently concluded T20I series was full of amazing achievements, including Hazratullah Zazai’s incredible 162*, Afghanistan scoring 278/3, Mohammad Nabi’s magnificent all-round performances and Rashid Khan’s brilliance with the ball. The stage is set, in a World Cup year, for Afghanistan to continue their amazing progress. Will they heap further misery on their opponents?
Their opponents, Ireland, made such a promising start to this tour. They pushed Afghanistan hard in the opening T20I, but then suffered from a bad case of Afghanistan power in the next two games. There is sadly no World Cup for Ireland to look forward to this year, but they can send out a strong message to the ICC with a big performance after a tough T20I series. Can they cause an upset?
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Key to an Afghanistan win
Afghanistan’s batting was outstanding in the T20I series. However, the challenge here will be making the necessary adjustments to the ODI format. Hazratullah Zazai struggled to adapt in his two ODIs in Ireland last year, which was also indicative of Afghanistan as a whole in that series. They won 2-1 in the end, but the number of unconverted starts is something Asghar Afghan would like to see improved. Their batting in the Asian Cup last year was promising, and if they can find form and get into good habits here, confidence will only grow. Will the likes of Mohammad Shahzad (who can provide a really fast start with Zazai), Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi help set a strong platform for Mohammad Nabi and co. to go hard in the middle order?
Also, plenty of onus will be Afghanistan’s spinners. Mujeeb ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan were too good for Ireland in Ireland last year, which renders them very dangerous prospects in India. Rashid Khan in particular is in superb form, coming off 11 wickets in the T20I series. However, with Ireland keen to go after the seamers, how Aftab Alam and co. fare will also be key to victory.
Key to an Ireland win
Ireland desperately need control with the ball. They conceded a total of 488 runs in the last two T20Is, carted around all over Dehadrun. However, a source of confidence can be that Afghanistan are not immune to losing early wickets, which places onus on the likes of Tim Murtagh and Boyd Rankin to provide a strong start. With a number of all-rounders and spin options to follow, it is crucial that Ireland get a good shot at Afghanistan’s middle order as early as possible. Can they create pressure effectively and build on it?
However, if Ireland don’t play Afghanistan’s spinners well, then it is highly unlikely they will win even if they bowl superbly. They certainly weren’t disgraced with the bat in the T20Is, scoring 194/6 and 178/8 in the final two matches. William Porterfield, Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien will be crucial to the cause, providing the backbone to the innings that can enable the others to play around them. Can Ireland keep the strike rotating effectively against the spinners, leaving wickets in hand for a big push in the death overs?
Possible Playing 11
It will be interesting to see whether Afghanistan go with Hazratullah Zazai, or stick with the same lineup as their last ODI – a thrilling tie vs India.
Afghanistan: 1. Hazratullah Zazai, 2. Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 3. Rahmat Shah, 4. Hashmatullah Shahidi, 5. Asghar Afghan (c), 6. Mohammad Nabi, 7. Najibullah Zadran, 8. Gulbadin Naib, 9. Rashid Khan, 10. Mujeeb ur Rahman, 11. Aftab Alam
William Porterfield returns to captain the side, which means Kevin O’Brien will move to the middle order. Either Barry McCarthy or Peter Chase could make up the final piece of the pace attack.
Ireland: 1. William Porterfield (c), 2. Paul Stirling, 3. Andy Balbirnie, 4. Lorcan Tucker, 5. Kevin O’Brien, 6. Simi Singh, 7. Stuart Poynter (wk), 8. George Dockrell, 9. Peter Chase/Barry McCarthy, 10. Boyd Rankin, 11. Tim Murtagh
Dream11 Prediction
Option 1:
Option 2:
Stats and Facts
- Last five ODIs: Afghanistan 3-2 Ireland.
- Afghanistan won the last series between the two sides last year in Ireland (2-1).
- Both sides will play their first ODI of 2019.
Match Prediction
Expecting Ireland to show some fight, but Afghanistan have their measure.
In a World Cup year, you’d expect Afghanistan to play with plenty of motivation.
Afghanistan to win.
Thanks for reading!
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Afghanistan vs Ireland 1st ODI Preview Dream11. AFG vs IRE 1st ODI Preview Dream11 Prediction
