Afghanistan vs Ireland 2nd T20I: Match details, team news, key players and predicted XI

After defeating the Irish team in the first T20I, Afghanistan is set to host Ireland in the second T20I at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun. The Asian team would be hoping to seal the three-match T20I series heading into the second match.

As for the visitors, they need to bounce back in style if they want to stay alive in the series. The stage is set for another intriguing contest between two dark horses in the cricketing world.

Ireland and Afghanistan are on the Indian tour for 3 T20Is, and 5 ODIs. Having won the toss, Ireland elected to bat first in the opening T20I. They posted a below-par score of 132 runs in their quota of 20 overs. Paul Stirling looked in good nick for his 23 runs before getting out to Mohammad Nabi.

The Irish batting lineup started to collapse when they found themselves reeling at 65-6. However, Stuart Poynter and George Dockrell steadied the ship to post 132 runs on the board. Irish bowlers tried their best to bring their team into the contest but lost the match in the final over by five wickets.

The Afghans were the clear favourites going into the opening match of the series. That proved out to be the case when they held their nerves till the very last over to emerge victorious in the first T20I.

Afghanistan had stumbled in the initial stages of their innings while chasing a small total and found themselves lurching at 50-5 after just seven overs. At this juncture, Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran stitched a match-winning partnership to bail their side out of trouble. The duo added 86 runs to take Afghanistan over the line in the opening T20I.

After the win in the first T20I, Afghanistan has extended their winning streak as they haven’t lost any match against the Irish side since 2013. The Afghans would be eyeing to emerge victorious in the upcoming match to clinch the T20I series.

---

Game Details

Date: Saturday, February 23, 2019

Time: 6:30 PM IST

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun

League: Bangladesh Premier League 2019

Live Telecast: DSPORT

Online Streaming: Rabbitholebd Sports YouTube Channel to live stream BPL matches in India

Ground Stats in T20Is

Total matches- 4

Matches won batting first- 2

Matches won bowling first- 2

Average 1st innings score- 148

Average 2nd innings score- 133

Highest total recorded- 167/8 (20 Overs) by AFG vs BAN

Lowest total recorded- 122/10 (19 Overs) by BAN vs AFG

Highest score chased- 135/4 (18.5 Overs) by AFG vs BAN

Lowest score defended- 145/6 (20 Overs) by AFG vs BAN

Head To Head

Played: 14

No Result: 01

Ireland won: 03

Afghanistan won: 10

Team News

Ireland

• The visitors need to bolster their batting lineup against the spin trio of Afghanistan. James Shannon, who has scored a T20 fifty against India, can be included in the lineup.

Afghanistan

• Afghanistan is likely to go with the same winning combination.

Squads

Afghanistan

Hazratullah Zazai, Asghar Afghan(c), Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Usman Ghani, Najeeb Tarakai, Zahir Khan, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Karim Janat, Fareed Malik, Sayed Shirzad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Ziaur Rahman

Ireland

George Dockrell, Paul Stirling(c), Simi Singh, Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Shane Getkate, Joshua Little, Andy McBrine, Kevin O Brien, Stuart Poynter, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Harry Tector, Stuart Thompson, Lorcan Tucker

Key Players

Afghanistan

• Mohammad Nabi
• Asghar Afghan
• Rashid Khan

Ireland

• Paul Stirling
• Kevin O’Brien
• Peter Chase

Probable Playing XI

Ireland: Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Simi Singh, Shane Getkate, Peter Chase, Kevin O Brien, Stuart Poynter, Andrew Balbirnie, Boyd Rankin, George Dockrell, Joshua Little

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Asghar Afghan, Samiullah Shenwari, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karim Janat