Inconsistent batting is what has hurt Ireland on this 2019 tour of India. Even after putting up a fantastic batting effort to complete a chase in the 3rd ODI, they were bowled out for 114 in the 4th ODI which gave Afghanistan a 2-1 lead in the series. Even Andy Balbirnie followed up his match-winning 145* with a duck!
Now, the teams square off in the 5th and final ODI before the one-off Test at Dehradun. While Afghanistan will be aiming for their fourth consecutive series win against Ireland, the latter will be looking to hit back and level the series. Keep reading for a complete fantasy preview of the 3rd ODI…
Match info
- Tournament: Afghanistan and Ireland in India, 2019
- Date: 10th March 2019, 1:00pm IST
- Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
- Series status: Afghanistan leads the series 2-1.
Form (recent first)
- Afghanistan: W L NR W T L L W W
- Ireland: L W NR L L W L L W
Stats
- Rashid Khan has 23 wickets in 10 international matches here.
- Afghanistan have just lost 1 match here. Ireland have won just 1.
- Head to head in ODIs – Afghanistan 12-11 Ireland.
- Afghanistan has not lost a bilateral series to Ireland since December 2017.
- Afghanistan has 8 individual 50+ scores this series; Ireland has 3.
Afghanistan
While there’s a lot of extravagant batting on display when it comes to the likes of Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad and others, captain Asghar Afghan has been like a rock in the middle order. A very reliable batsman in his position, Afghan has scores of 75 and 54 in the last 2 ODIs and I’ll have him in my fantasy side for this 5th ODI as well.
I have suggested dropping the likes of Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan in the past, only because of the fact that they are highly popular fantasy players. They both scored 50s in the 4th ODI but I’ll continue to leave out Nabi from my side, for Gulbadin Naib. As for Rashid, he has not been up to full potential with the ball but his rhythm in the last game means it’s time he inflicted full damage. He’s my captain for this match.
Ireland
William Porterfield has still under-performed after three games on this tour. 1, 3 and 21 have been his scores so far but the start he got in the 4th ODI means he has a slight understanding of the pitch here and is all set for a bigger score that his team desperately needs. With the bat, pick Porterfield, Balbirnie and Simi Singh (bats at #4 and bowls his full quota of overs too).
I would suggest dropping the popular all-rounder Kevin O’Brien as he hasn’t bowled a single over in this series. I’d rather use his credits for another couple of high-value players, one of who is George Dockrell. Batting at #6 or #7, Dockrelll now also has more opportunities with the bat, apart from being the prime spinner in the team. Also pick Andy McBrine, who got a few early wickets in the last game.
AFG vs IRE Punting
Place bets at BEST ODDS in the 5th ODI
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— Read Scoops (@ReadScoops) March 10, 2019
My fantasy eleven
For more updates from Afghanistan and Ireland’s 2019 tour of India, keep reading ReadScoops.com.
