Belfast, Aug 11 (IANS) Afghanistan booked their place at the 2027 ODI World Cup in Southern Africa after a thrilling three-wicket victory over Ireland in the second match of their five-game series, with captain Rashid Khan once again proving decisive with both bat and ball.
This victory secures Afghanistan’s place in the 2027 ODI World Cup in Southern Africa. They will make their fourth straight appearance at the tournament and take a strong 2-0 lead in the five-match series against Ireland.
Rashid took three wickets, helping Afghanistan limit Ireland to 206. He then scored an unbeaten 37 as Afghanistan chased down the target with more than five overs to spare. This win gave Afghanistan a 2-0 lead in the series and guaranteed their spot in a fourth consecutive World Cup.
Rashid had previously claimed six wickets in the second match of the series, showcasing his impressive form ahead of next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
After trailing 1-0 in the series, Ireland put up a strong fight after Afghanistan seemed to be in control. From 97 for 2, Ireland’s innings looked shaky until young Gavin Hoey stepped up with an excellent spell of legspin.
Hoey’s flight, dip, and sharp turn caused difficulties for Afghanistan. His figures of 4 for 34 in the middle overs brought Ireland back into the game. This included the important wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored 71.
Hoey received good support from seamer Mark Adair, who continued to find small deviations from the pitch. However, after Hoey finished his spell by the 33rd over, Ireland ran out of effective bowlers as Afghanistan kept their composure.
Ireland’s innings was saved by a record ninth-wicket partnership between Hoey and Jai Moondra. With Ireland struggling at 128 for 8 against Afghanistan’s spinners, the duo added 76 runs for the ninth wicket.
Hoey was the top scorer with 36, while Moondra contributed 31 in only his second ODI innings. Moondra was the more aggressive of the two, showing great awareness and footwork against the Afghan spin.
After hitting a full toss, Moondra struck four more boundaries before edging one to Gurbaz off Yamin Ahmadzai, who was playing his first ODI since 2022. This was Ahmadzai’s second wicket.
Ireland’s innings ended in the 47th over when Hoey tried a big hit off Azmatullah Omarzai and was bowled. By that time, Rashid and Ghazanfar had impressive figures of 6 for 73 after dismantling Ireland’s top order, which included the wickets of Lorcan Tucker, Curtis Campher, and Ben Calitz.
Afghanistan began the chase aggressively. Gurbaz took the fight to the Irish fast bowlers, particularly targeting Moondra, who struggled to get the same movement as Adair.
Gurbaz reached his eighth ODI fifty with a big shot over deep midwicket, but Afghanistan quickly came under pressure. Sediqullah Atal dragged a delivery from Hoey to long-on for 27, and Rahmat Shah was bowled by an excellent delivery from Adair that nipped back to hit the top of off.
Hoey continued to mix his pace and mostly bowled stump-to-stump, using tactics similar to those of Afghanistan’s spinners. Hashmatullah Shahidi then hit a half-tracker straight to Moondra at deep square, while Darwish Rasooli got out trying to sweep, toe-ending the ball to midwicket.
Afghanistan faced more trouble when Omarzai tried a lofted shot and got caught at cover, leaving Ireland hopeful for an unlikely victory.
However, Rashid stayed calm under pressure. The Afghanistan captain played a careful and confident innings, waiting to attack until his team needed only 15 runs to win.
He closed the target to single digits with a wristy whip before hitting the winning runs, scoring a couple off Harry Tector in the 45th over. This brought huge celebrations in the Afghan camp.
Hoey, who achieved a career-best 4/34 in ODI cricket, said Rashid’s words after his spell meant a lot to him.
Ahmadzai played a key role in Afghanistan’s successful chase, scoring 4 not out off 26 balls while his team maintained their focus in a tense finish.
–IANS
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