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Afghanistan was the favorite team to win this first match but we think that they failed to adjust to the foreign conditions. They are aware of the conditions now and this match will be very interesting. The home side performed well in the first match and won the match as many of us were not expecting. Afghanistan will be under pressure after losing the first match. Afghanistan is a strong team and can bounce back in this second match.

Ireland Reviews

The performance of the bowling department of Ireland was not very impressive in the first match. They leaked 168 runs in their innings of 20 overs. Joshua Little, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Gareth Delany, and George Dockrell are the key bowlers of this team. Barry McCarthy was the most successful and highest wicket-taker from their side who picked three wickets in his four overs bowled out against 34 runs. Dockrell also performed well and picked two wickets in just two overs bowled out against seven runs. Joshua Little and Delany picked one wicket each.

Ireland won the first match due to the best performance by their batting order. They chased the target of 169 runs in 19.5 overs. Almost all batters from their side put some runs on the board. The skipper, Andrew Balbirnie was the highest run-scorer from their side with 51 runs to his name on 38 balls with the help of five boundaries and one huge six. Lorcan Tucker was the other batter who was just good with the bat and scored 50 runs. He faced 32 balls and smashed six boundaries and one huge six during his inning. Paul Stirling scored 31 runs while Harry Tector remained not out after scoring 25 runs.

Afghanistan Reviews

Afghanistan had a good batting start in the first match and put a total of 168 runs on the board. The bowling unit of Afghanistan is strong and experienced and many of us were expecting that they will defend this total but this did not happen. Usman Ghani was the highest run-scorer from their side who scored 59 runs on 42 balls with the help of six boundaries and two huge sixes. Ibrahim Zadran was the other batter who was just good with the bat. He scored 29 runs and remained not out. He faced 18 balls and smashed one boundary and two huge sixes. Gurbaz also performed well and scored 26 runs.

We do not doubt that the bowling department of Afghanistan is very strong but they were not good in the first match of this five match series. They leaked the target of 169 runs in 19.5 overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, and Mohammad Nabi were used as bowlers in the previous match. Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked one wicket each in the previous match while no other bowler from the side of Afghanistan could manage to pick any wicket.

Pitch Report and Conditions

The st match of Afghanistan vs Ireland will be played at Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast. The pitch at this stadium is good for batting but is one of the slower pitches in the Caribbean. Run-scoring is not going to be very easy and that could be a good thing for both teams. A total of 170 runs can be a par score

Weather Report for This Match

The weather forecast for Belfast on match day is not very good. Rain is predicted for most of the day and so it looks like we are going to struggle to get a game in.

Winning Chances of Today Match for the Both Teams

Afghanistan is overall a strong team and they have a lot of experience when it comes to the T20 format of cricket, so the winning chances of today’s match for Afghanistan have been increased. The equation of winning chances of both teams for today’s match is mentioned as under.

Afghanistan has a 60% chance to win this match.

Ireland has a 40% chance to win this match.