Afghanistan vs Ireland, Afghanistan v Ireland in India, 2019, Today Match Prediction 15 Mar 2019

afg vs ire Match Prediction & Analysis

Afghanistan ended the ODI series ina 2-2 stalemate after losing the final match to Ireland. Now the eyes shift to the iconic test match played between these two sides. Afghanistan team boosts an experienced batting line up with likes of Ashghar Afghan, Mohammed Shahzad, Mohammed Nabi and Hashmatullah Shahidi.

Ikram Ali Khil is expected to debut and take the wicket keeping duties. Rashid Khan will be their main bowler in the tests and he is expected to be partnered by Zakir Khan. Yamin Ahmadzai and Wafadar Momand will share the new ball and open the bowling attack. Afghanistan has a great opportunity to achieve their first test win in their more favorable conditions. 

Ireland will be delighted after drawing the ODI series 2-2 after losing the T20I series by 3-0 margin. Ireland will be high on confidence and morale after series leveling win in the fifth ODI match. This will be their first away test match to be played.

William Porterfield, Andrew Balbirnie and Kevin O Brian form the core of their batting line up.  Tim Murtagh and Boyd Rankin will open the bowling attack and Stuart Thompson will come in as first change pacer in the team. Spinners George Dockrell and Simi Singh are expected to pair up and play their debut test match.

With both teams new to Test Format, we can expect this match to be enthralling and exciting to watch. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Afghanistan Preview

Key Players:

Asghar Afghan – The Skipper ended as the highest run scorer in ODI series after three back to back fifties. He will look to make maiden fifty or a century for Afghanistan team in the Test format. 

Rashid Khan – Rashid Khan has established himself in the limited overs formats. He will look to bowl well and make a name for himself in Tests too. 

Stats from the recent ODI series:

Ashghar Afghani – 226 runs, Average – 75.33, Strike rate -72.9, Hs-82*, 50s-3

Rashid Khan – 5 wickets at an economy of 3.9 RPO (BB-2/22).

Afghanistan Predicted Playing XI:

Asghar Afghan (c), Mohammed Shahzad, Ikram Ali Khil (wk), Rahmat Shah, Mohammad Nabi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Javed Ahmadi, Rashid Khan, Zakir Khan, Wafadar Mohammed, Yamin Ahmadzai

Afghanistan Actual Playing XI:

Hashmatullah Shahidi, Waqar Salamkheil, Asghar Afghan, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Ali Khil, Wafadar Momand, Rashid Khan, M Shahzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Nabi

Ireland Preview

Key Players:

Kevin O Brian – Kevin had a silent ODI series by his standards but we can’t write off the maiden centurion in test format for the Ireland team.    

Boyd Rankin – Rankin is one of the most experienced players in the Ireland team and has played a lot of English county cricket. In fact he has represented England in a test match against Australia. 

Stats from the recent ODI series:

Andrew Balbirnie – 215 runs, Average – 71.67, Strike rate -86, Hs-145*, 100s-1, 50s-1

George Dockrell – 8 wickets at an economy of 5.3 RPO (BB-3/51)

Ireland Predicted Playing XI:

William Porterfield (c), Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, Simi Singh, George Dockrell, Stuart Poynter (wk), Kevin O Brien, Tim Murtagh, Boyd Rankin, Stuart Thompson, James Cameron-Dow.

Ireland Actual Playing XI:

James McCollum, Kevin O'Brien, Andy McBrine, Stuart Poynter, SR Thompson, George Dockrell, WTS Porterfield, Paul Stirling, Tim Murtagh, James Cameron, Andy Balbirnie

Weather Conditions

Dehradun pitch is one of the slow pitches in India and it is known to assist spinners in the match. The ball will grip and turn in the cracks especially during the last two days of the match. The pitch will be good for batting for the first 2-3 days. Dehradun weather looks good with intermittent rains. The moisture content in pitch may help the seamers swing the ball. 

Toss: WIN the toss, BAT First

Chasing a target in the fourth innings has become an ardent task nowadays especially in the sub continental conditions. Both teams will look to bat in the favourable conditions and post a good total here.