Last Updated on 1 month by Charbel Coorey

IRE vs AFG 2nd T20 Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report | IRE vs AFG 2nd T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | Belfast Pitch Report

After seven consecutive defeats to India, New Zealand and South Africa, Ireland held their nerve to beat Afghanistan in a thriller on Tuesday.

A 1-0 series lead for the Irish is a nice place to be in, and the positives that came with their first up victory are aplenty. Runs for Lorcan Tucker and Andy Balbirnie in particular is a welcome relief, and the nerves of steel showed by George Dockrell and Harry Tector against some good death bowling is also cause for encouragement. The key question now is whether the home side can back up their effort with another strong showing in the second T20I.

For Afghanistan, the fact they came so close to victory despite not playing anywhere near their best is reason for positivity. Their team selection perhaps left a little to be desired, and Rashid Khan wasn’t at his dominant best against an opponent he usually enjoys playing against. It will be interesting to see how they fare here.

IRE vs AFG 2nd T20 Possible Playing XI

Ireland: 1. Paul Stirling, 2. Andy Balbirnie (c), 3. Lorcan Tucker (wk), 4. Harry Tector, 5. Gareth Delany, 6. George Dockrell, 7. Curtis Campher, 8. Mark Adair, 9. Andy McBrine, 10. Barry McCarthy, 11. Josh Little

Hazratullah Zazai’s absence from the first T20I raised eyebrows among the Afghanistan fans. The Afghans might bring Zazai back in place of Hashmatullah Shahidi

Afghanistan: 1. Hazratullah Zazai, 2. Usman Ghani, 3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 4. Najibullah Zadran, 5. Mohammad Nabi (c), 6. Ibrahim Zadran, 7. Azmatullah Omarzai/Karim Janat, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Naveen-ul-Haq, 10. Mujeeb ur Rahman, 11. Fazal Haq Farooqi

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Ireland:

• Lorcan Tucker has struck scores of 78 (38) and 50 (32) in his past three T20Is.
• Paul Stirling will be seeking greater fluency than his 29-ball 31 in the first match. The opener has the most runs in IRE-AFG T20Is (574) at an average of 31.88 and strike rate of 142.07.
• Andy Balbirnie found some form two days ago (51 off 38 balls). This was the Ireland skipper’s first half-century in nine T20Is vs Afghanistan.
• Harry Tector vs Afghanistan in T20Is: 4 matches, 122 runs, avg. 61.00, SR 146.98. His 15-ball 25 helped get Ireland over the line in the opening T20I.
• Josh Little has the second-most wickets of any bowler in T20Is on this ground. The left-armer has taken 10 wickets in just five matches at a strike rate of 12.
• Barry McCarthy took a wicket at each stage of the Afghanistan innings to finish with 3/34. The seamer has eight wickets in four T20Is vs Afghanistan (avg. 19.62, SR 12).

Afghanistan:

• Will Hazratullah Zazai play? The left-hander has a magnificent record against Ireland in T20Is: 7 inns, 411 runs, avg. 68.50, SR 186.81.
• Usman Ghani has made it difficult for Afghanistan to leave him out after his 42-ball 59 in the opening T20I. He struck eight boundaries with an overall strike rate of 140.47.
• Mohammad Nabi will be key in the finishing department. He strikes at 180.35 in 16 T20I knocks vs Ireland (404 runs in total). Also, he has taken 16 wickets at a strike rate of 21.2.
• The first T20I was only Rashid Khan’s second wicketless outing in 14 T20Is vs Ireland. Expect the legspinner to have a say as he has 34 wickets at an average of 9.00 and economy of 6.00 against the Irish.
• The Irish top order still needs to be positive against Rashid as he has a great record against them. He has dismissed Andy Balbirnie four times in 39 balls (36 runs), Stirling once in 12 balls (nine runs) and Lorcan Tucker four times in 33 balls (28 runs).
• Naveen-ul-Haq was expensive late on, but he had some good moments in the opening T20I. He recently took the second-most wickets in the T20 Vitality Blast (24 in 14 matches).

Other Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 19, Ireland 5, Afghanistan 14.
• Ireland have won the past two T20Is between the teams.
• Najibullah Zadran in the 2022 Shpageeza Cricket League: 397 runs in ten matches (avg. 56.71, SR 163.37).

Civil Service Cricket Club Stormont Belfast Pitch Report and Weather

Another warm and clear day is forecast in Belfast. The last three T20Is has seen the team batting first score 173, 179 and 168. Any score in that region will be competitive on an easy-paced surface where spin may have a say due to the dry, warm weather recently.

IRE vs AFG 2nd T20 Dream11 Prediction 11 August 2022

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base Team:

• Wicket-Keepers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
• Batsmen: Paul Stirling, Najibullah Zadran
• All-Rounders: Mohammad Nabi, George Dockrell
• Bowlers: Josh Little, Rashid Khan

IRE vs AFG 2nd T20 Match Prediction: Who will win?

Expect another cracker. If Afghanistan hit their straps, they will be tough to beat.