SHARJAH (UAE) – Afghanistan proved too strong with bat and ball against Ireland as they cruised to a 57-run win in Sharjah on Monday to sweep the T20I series 2-1.
Ibrahim Zadran’s superb 72 not out, supported by Azmatullah Omarzai’s bowling, ensured the hosts won the final match of Ireland’s tour against Afghanistan.
“It’s a great series win for us,” Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan said, praising the performance of his young team.
The Irish were unable to chase down a target of 156, with Omarzai’s four wickets for just nine runs helping the tourists to be bowled out for 98 in 18 overs.
Ireland won the first T20I mini-series last week, but back-to-back wins on Sunday and Monday ensured Afghanistan recovered to take the three-match series after earlier winning the ODI series 2-0.
Khan won the toss against Ireland for the third time in a row and, like in Monday’s 10-run victory, elected to bat first.
Batting three, the 22-year-old Zadran anchored Afghanistan’s innings with his career-best T20I score of 72, which powered the hosts to what Ireland could not match.
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz capped a T20I series he will hope to forget on a personal level after scores of zero and three in the first two matches when Harry Tector took a superb diving catch to dismiss him for six at the start of the third. .
Afghanistan then ticked along nicely with Zadran and Sediqullah Atal in the crease until Atal fired a spin ball straight back to Gareth Delany.
In the very next over, Omarzai, on back-to-back golden ducks, was dropped by Delany for one but departed just two deliveries later after lobbing Curtis Campher to Josh Little.
The arrival of Mohammad Ishaq steadied the ship for Afghanistan as he put on a decisive fourth wicket with Zadran on 54 until the number five mistimed a lob on 27 and Paul Stirling collected the ball.
With just over five overs to go, Zadran kept the scoreboard moving for Afghanistan.
Ijaz Ahmadzai ably replaced him at the end with 10 runs from three balls, including a monster six in the last over, before running out trying to get his partner back into strike for the last delivery.
Ireland’s chase never really got going, especially after Naveen-ul-Haq bowled Andy Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker with consecutive deliveries in the second game.
Some resistance came from Campher and Delany’s 36-run sixth-wicket stand, but the visitors were never really allowed to form any worthwhile partnerships thanks to Afghanistan’s fast attack.
Omarzai, 23, claimed the key wickets of Tector and George Dockrell before dismissing Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy as Afghanistan dismantled Ireland’s batting line-up.
Naveen-ul-Haq then bowled Ben White with a slower ball to wrap up affairs and give Afghanistan a narrow series win ahead of this summer’s T20 World Cup.
Despite the defeat, Ireland will still consider the tour a historic success after winning their very first Test match on March 1.
