Ireland vs Afghanistan, IRE vs AFG, Today Match Prediction 15 August 2022

ire vs afg Match Prediction & Analysis

Afghanistan has bounced back in the 5-match series against Ireland. It was a good performance from the visitors in the third game as they defeated hosts Ireland by 22 runs in the third game to make it 1-2. The Afghans would look to level the series here and take it to the decider in the last game. The Irish side would aim to bounce back and win the series here.  

Ireland has won two out of the three games in the series and there would be less pressure on the hosts than on the Afghans. They know the conditions well and have their batsmen in good form. Afghanistan's bowlers have struggled in this series, and it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back in this game.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Ireland Preview

Andrew Balbirnie would be upset with the performance of his bowlers in the last game. It was a poor show from the side with the ball as they allowed the Afghans to put up a big score on the table. Their batting has looked good in this series and Balbirnie would like to go for the kill and take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.  

Paul Stirling and Balbirnie haven’t been at their best in this series but have done well this year. The pair shall look to score runs here. Lorcan Tucker is having a great season and the side would need him to add runs with Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, and Gareth Delany in this game. George Dockrell and Fionn Hand played good knocks down the order in the last game and the side would like to see similar performances from them.  

Their bowlers had a horrible day in the last game, and they must make a strong comeback. Joshua Little and Mark Adair shall have to bowl tight lines and pick early wickets. Graham Hume, Fionn Hand, and Delany leaked runs in the last game, and they would aim to come up with better spells here.  

Ireland Predicted Playing XI:

Andrew Balbirnie (c), Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Fionn Hand, Mark Adair, Graham Hume, Joshua Little

Ireland Actual Playing XI:

Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Fionn Hand, Joshua Little, Paul Stirling, Barry McCarthy, George Dockrell, Lorcan Tucker, Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Andrew Balbirnie

Afghanistan Preview

Mohammad Nabi would be relieved as his side turned it around in the last game registering a convincing win. The side was at its best with the bat and the ball and didn’t allow the hosts to settle down. Nabi would like them to make use of this momentum and register a win in this game.  

Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai played well in the last game and the side would like to see a similar start from them. The middle order did well with Ibrahim Zadran and Najibullah Zadran scoring runs and a similar performance shall be expected from then. Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Usman Ghani can hit the ball long distances and add firepower to this batting line-up.  

Azmatullah Omarzai and Fazalhaq Farooqi did well in the new ball in the last game and the side would like to see a similar performance from them in this game. Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Nabi aren’t troubling the batsmen, and this would be worrying for the team. Mujeeb ur Rahman bowled well in the last game and the side would like to see a similar show from him.

Afghanistan Predicted Playing XI:

Mohammad Nabi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Afghanistan Actual Playing XI:

Naveen ul Haq, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

There would be overcast skies over Belfast on August 15. We have seen a flat surface so far where the ball has come to the bat nicely letting batsmen play their strokes. There would be some assistance for the bowlers in the early overs of the game. The side batting would need 160 runs on the board to feel safe.

Venue Details

Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast is a small ground and has a lightning-fast outfield. The shorter square boundaries allow batsmen to score runs in boundaries. They can score quick runs easily and the venue has seen several big scores. Fast bowlers have done well but spinners have generally struggled at this venue.

Toss: To Bowl

In this surface big scores have been chased easily in the past. The wicket has been good to bat on throughout the game and chasing scores always adds to a side’s advantage. Hence, the team winning the toss here shall have no doubts in opting to bowl first.