Ireland finally managed a win after losing in seven T20Is and three ODIs and failing to record a victory over the summer, despite numerous opportunities to do so. George Dockrell and Harry Tector maintained composure as Ireland defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first T20I in Belfast, which turned out to be a nail-biting contest. But the chase was one that the hosts almost botched.
Ireland appeared to be in control of the match when they needed 48 runs off of six overs and had nine wickets in hand to chase down 169, but a few tight overs allowed Afghanistan to get a sniff once more. Dockrell, though, remained composed and hit two consecutive fours off Naveen-ul-Haq to secure Ireland the victory with one ball left in the game.
Afghanistan struggled to establish the timing on a somewhat two-paced Belfast pitch, which was evident given that they had only played five T20Is in 2022 prior to the game and no international cricket since June 14. Usman Ghani’s fourth T20I half-century and Ibrahim Zadran’s fast 18-ball 29* in the last overs helped the visitors reach 168 for 7, though.
Ireland continued to cruise to victory thanks to Andy Balbirnie’s heartening return to form and Lorcan Tucker’s second fifty in his last three T20I innings. But after Balbirnie and Tucker fell in rapid succession, what had seemed like a straightforward pursuit for the remainder of the stretch, shifted direction. But just in time for Ireland to win, Tector and Dockrell played their biggest hits.
Mohammad Nabi, the losing captain said, “We haven’t played a game for a month. It was a good game, we were 10-15 runs short. It was a good pitch. Ireland batted well. Usman played really well, he’s scored a lot in the domestic games and thus got a chance today. We need to work on our lines and lengths, we missed it in the first six and at the death too.”
Andy Balbirnie, the winning Ireland Captain and POTM said, “It’s a lot more fun when you are scoring runs. We have been hurting after recent losses, but this win is great. (On his batting) When you’re out of form, you can over-analyze, but I kept it simple. I watched the ball closely and did well, I hope my form will continue. (From the team’s pov) We have played well this summer so far without getting over the line. We bowled well, we had wickets in hand with the bat. That meant we could go harder. We need to learn to balance aggression and caution early on. Not losing wickets in the first six is important, we navigated through that well. We had defined roles and stuck to them. Our bowlers did well. Gareth is in good rhythm, we have good options. (On the score) The target was chaseable, we bowled to good plans. We ask our bowlers to be clear mentally and they did it well today.”
Player of the Match: Andy Balbirnie
IRE vs AFG: Ireland Breaks 7 Losses Streak, Beats Afghanistan by 7 Wickets
