Afghanistan crush Ireland to clinch ODI series

Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal hit centuries to take 3-0 lead in Belfast

Afghanistan produced a commanding batting performance to defeat Ireland by 42 runs in Belfast on Wednesday, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match one-day international series with two matches remaining.

Put into bat, Afghanistan posted 343 for nine, powered by centuries from Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal. The pair shared a record 231-run partnership for the second wicket, setting up Afghanistan for a formidable total after Ireland removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz early.

Gurbaz, who had been Afghanistan’s leading run-scorer in Monday’s close contest, was dismissed in the second over. His early departure, however, proved to be little more than a temporary setback as Atal and Zadran took control.

Zadran anchored the innings with a technically assured knock, initially concentrating on rotating the strike before accelerating after reaching his half-century. He brought up his seventh ODI century and continued to find gaps in the field against an Irish attack that struggled to contain the partnership.

Atal was the more aggressive of the two and regularly used his feet against the spinners. Celebrating his 25th birthday, he reached his century in style and continued attacking before eventually falling for 143. His innings included 17 fours and four sixes.

The partnership between Atal and Zadran surpassed Afghanistan’s previous ODI record for the second wicket, eclipsing the 218-run stand between Karim Sadiq and Mohammad Shahzad against Scotland in 2009.

Zadran’s dismissal eventually brought an end to the dominant stand, while late contributions from Darwish Rasooli and captain Rashid Khan helped Afghanistan move closer to the 350-run mark. Ireland took three wickets in the final 10 overs to restrict their opponents to 343.

Ireland’s chase never gathered sufficient momentum. Yamin Ahmadzai and Azmatullah Omarzai opened with an effective spell of swing bowling, restricting Ireland to just 25 runs in the first eight overs.

Andy Balbirnie provided the backbone of the innings, eventually scoring 109, but Ireland’s cautious start left them with too much ground to make up. Paul Stirling was dismissed by AM Ghazanfar in the 11th over before Cade Carmichael also fell, putting further pressure on the hosts.

Balbirnie and Harry Tector briefly steadied the chase with a 76-run partnership, but Tector’s dismissal triggered another collapse. Rashid Khan then struck twice in successive deliveries to remove Balbirnie and Ben Calitz, effectively ending Ireland’s hopes.

Curtis Campher provided late resistance with a spectacular 84 from 46 balls, including eight fours and five sixes. His aggressive innings lifted Ireland beyond 300, but he was dismissed as the ninth wicket in the 48th over.

Ireland were eventually bowled out for 301 in 48 overs, falling 42 runs short as Afghanistan completed a decisive series victory. The result gives Afghanistan a 3-0 lead with two matches still to play and further underlines the depth of their ODI batting.