Gurbaz, Farooqi guide Afghanistan to victory over Ireland by 35 runs

Sharjah [UAE]: Outstanding performances from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Fazalhaq Farooqi guided the Afghanistan side to victory against Ireland in the first ODI of the three-match series at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

While chasing a total of 311 runs, the Irish team fell short by 35 runs as they were able to score only 275 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their 50 overs. The highest scorer from their team was Harry Tector who slammed a century but couldn’t help his side to cross the line. The right-hand batter scored 138 runs off 147 balls which was laced by nine fours and three sixes in his innings.

The wicketkeeper-batter Lorcan Tucker also scored some valuable runs for the side but they went in vain as his team ended up on the losing side. He played a knock of 85 runs from 76 balls with the help of eight fours and two sixes.

Other than these two players, no batter was able to touch the double-digit mark. Players like Andrew Balbirnie, skipper Paul Stirling, George Dockrell and many other players failed to perform with the bat.

The highest wicket-taker for the Afghan team was left-arm seamer Farooqi who snapped four wickets in his spell of 10 overs where he conceded 51 runs and bowled a maiden over too. Two wickets were grabbed by Azmatullah Omarzai in his spell of 10 overs where he conceded 47 runs.

One wicket each was bagged by Gulbadin Naib and Noor Ahmed in their spells of six and 10 overs where they conceded 38 and 61 runs respectively.

Earlier in the first innings, the hosts scored 310 runs after being asked to bat first by Stirling. The highest run-getter for the side was their wicketkeeper-batter Gurbaz who smashed a ton. He played a knock of 121 runs from 117 balls with eight fours and six sixes in his innings.

The other opener Ibrahim Zadran also played a brilliant innings of 60 runs which included four boundaries and two sixes in his innings. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi lodged a fifty in just 33 balls with the help of six fours and a six before going back to the pavilion.

The pick of the bowlers for the Ireland team was Theo van Woerkom who took three wickets in his spell of 10 overs where he gave away 55 runs. One wicket each was taken by Graham Hume and Craig Young in their spell of nine and 10 overs where they conceded 40 and 59 runs respectively.

Brief Score: Ireland 275 in 50 overs (Harry Tector 138, Lorcan Tucker 85, Fazalhaq Farooqi 4/51) vs Afghanistan 310/5 in 50 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 121, Ibrahim Zadran 60, Theo van Woerkom 3/55).