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Afghanistan vs Ireland 5th ODI Full Commentary
Result · Aug 15 2026, Sat - 03:15 PM (IST)
AFG 302/4 (48.5)
IRE 298/7 (50.0)
Afghanistan beat Ireland by 6 wickets
CRR:6.18
ప్లేయర్ ఆఫ్ ద మ్యాచ్
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Back in action - Are the stars aligned? Well, either team will have something good at the end of the game. If Ireland win, not only do they avoid a cleansweep, but they end their 9-match losing rut to Afghanistan in ODIs. On the other hand, the highest successful chase by the Afghans in ODIs is 283, in the 2023 World Cup against Pakistan, in Chennai. So if they gun these runs down, they create a new record for themselves. Let's see which will be the happier team by the end of the day. The players are back in the middle. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are the openers for Afghanistan. Jai Moondra has the first new ball in his hand. Gurbaz to face. 299 needed in 300 balls. Let's resume!
.. THE RUN CHASE ...
Hope for a positive end - The fireworks towards the end of the first innings have now given Ireland a lot of hope to avoid a cleansweep. 299 won't be an easy target to chase down, given it is a used pitch, but Afghanistan do have a few in-form batters, and if their openers click, it could turn out to be an engrossing chase. Action resumes at 2.03 pm GMT, so stay tuned.
Pacers go the distance - Afghanistan made a decent start with the ball and Azmatullah Omarzai even sent back both the Irish openers in the same over, but there wasn't much control from the other end. AM Ghazanfar continued to impress as he bowled an economical spell whilst picking up two wickets as well. Nangeyalia Kharote was a bit expensive, but overall the spinners did a decent job in the absence of Rashid Khan. At the backend of the innings, we saw the seamers operate and Omarzai was taken to the cleaners at the death, which was a bit surprising given how good he is in that phase. Ziaur Rahman was the most economical of the three pacers as Mohammad Saleem picked up a wicket, giving away 62 runs in his 10 overs.
Middle order saves the day - The Irish openers got off to decent starts but fell in quick succession. Lorcan Tucker couldn't do much either, but Harry Tector piled on his 15th half-century in ODIs, which stabilized the Irish innings. Still, at 154/5 in 33.3 overs, Ireland needed a lot from that middle order. That's when George Dockrell and Curtis Campher stitched together a 72-run stand. In the final 10 overs, the hosts managed to score 101 runs, thanks to Campher, who did get out on an agonizing 96. Jordan Neill also showed positivity with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 23 (19), helping his team come close to breaching the 300-run mark.
Strong finish from the hosts - Ireland roar back in the final Powerplay to post a pretty challenging total of 298 on the board, largely thanks to Curtis Campher's stellar knock. Afghanistan will be a tad disappointed as they allowed the hosts to stay in the game and couldn't land the telling blow.
Ireland won't get to 300. A low full toss, on middle and leg, Gaving digs it out towards long on and Campher drags him back for the second. The throw is a weak one to the keeper and the run out chance is not capitalized. IRELAND FINISH ON 298/7!
FOUR! IMPERIOUS! Hoey can whack the ball too. A short ball again, outside off, Hoey pulls it powerfully and beats deep mid-wicket to his left. 4 runs needed for the 300-mark.
Dropped short, outside off, Jordan Neill pulls it powerfully but finds deep mid-wicket. Just a single. Just 2 runs off the first 4 deliveries.
A slower ball, on a length, outside off, Hoey swings but misses. Neill rightly calls him through for a bye. The batters nearly collide but the throw from the keeper is a slow one to the bowler and Hoey makes it to the other end.
Another dot ball. Yorker, outside off, Gavin Hoey cannot get bat on ball.
Gavin Hoey walks in next, at number 9, replacing Campher.
OUT! CAMPHER FALLS FOR 96! More importantly, a dot ball for Afghanistan. But a terrific knock nevertheless. Full and outside off, Curtis Campher gets underneath the ball and powers it through the covers, but cannot get full elevation. It goes flat towards cover where Rahmat Shah takes it with a leap. A quickfire 64-run stand has been broken and IRELAND ARE 290/7 WITH 5 BALLS LEFT.
Final over then. Ireland need 10 for 300. Campher needs 4 for a 100.
Excellent over from Omarzai.10 from the over but there was only one boundary. On a length, outside off, Campher mistimes his punch towards cover and gets a single. 10-0-74-3 for Azmatullah Omarzai.
A full toss, but unpunished. Neill swings it away, but finds deep mid-wicket on the bounce. Just another single.
Very full, outside off, just short of the yorker mark, but CC can only get a single through a drive towards sweeper cover.
Dropped short, around off, Jordan Neill pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a run.
Wide yorker, outside off, Curtis reaches out and squeezes it to sweeper cover. Takes the single, wants the second but is sent back. The stand moves to 60 (33).
FOUR! Into the 90s! Fuller, outside off, Campher looks to go over covers but ends up getting a thick outside edge. The ball flies over short third and gives him the desired result any which ways towards deep third.
WIDE. Omarzai goes get the wide yorker outside off, but it is too wide, beyond the guideline. Curtis Campher tries to reach out but misses. Number 17 of the innings.
Yorker, outside off, Campher squeezes it to short third for another single. 12 from the over, 44 in the last 3!
SIX! HAMMERED! Number 4 for Campher! Slower delivery again, on a length, outside off, Curtis Campher backs away to the leg side, waits for the ball and swings it cleanly over long off! The ball goes into the crowd but this time, it is not taken. 50-RUN STAND IS UP, IN 30 BALLS!
Priceless dot ball. Slower delivery, on a length, outside off, CC goes back and punches, but finds Rahmat Shah at cover.
A high full toss, around middle, Jordan Neill is unable to put it away, punching it down to long on for just one.
Another leg cutter, outside off, Curtis pushes this towards point for a run.
On a length, around middle and off, Campher slogs this over the non-striker down to long on for a couple. Moves to 81 (75).
WIDE. Number 16 of the innings, to go with a no ball. That's 17 nearly 3 extra overs already! Saleem goes for the leg cutter but executes it poorly, Floated outside leg, Curtis Campher looks to sweep but misses.
How the complexion has changed in the last 2 overs! All of a sudden, 300 seems on now. Mohammad Saleem returns. 8-1-43-0 so far.
Finally, Azmat nails the yorker. Outside off, Curtis digs it out towards point for a single. 18 from the over, 32 in the last 2!
On a good run - That's what the stats say. Afghanistan have now registered series wins in 6 out of their last 7 ODI series. Their opponents were Ireland (twice), South Africa, Bangladesh (twice) and Zimbabwe. The one series which they were unable to win in this phase was against India. So the signs of a good team are there. But as Rashid keeps on saying, it is now time to get one better. Figure out ways to beat teams in the top 6, top 4 and so on. But to reach that stage, such series wins also matter as they build momentum. Rashid Khan was a key factor in Afghanistan's wins in this series, but the others have also shown their potential. They now head back to India, for a 3-match T20I series starting 13th September, 2026. Ireland, on the other hand, after their exponential high against India, have come down crashing after this series. Not winning the series is one thing, but not able to win even a single match will hurt. They too, are a proud nation with players having good potential, but lack of consistent opportunities keeps making them rusty. The Irish will hope to get a few more bilateral series in the future. Right now, we don't know what their immediate future holds. But it is a good time for the unit to get together and go through their highs and lows over the past few months. That is all we have for you from this series. Thanks a lot for tuning in. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Do catch all the action from Bangladesh's tour of Australia and India's tour of Sri Lanka. Until next time, ADIOS! TAKE CARE!
Our preparation was good - The victorious skipper of Afghanistan, RAHMAT SHAH, says that before Afghanistan reached Ireland, they had a preparation camp in Birmingham. Adds that the weather over there is similar to how it is in Ireland, so their preparation was good. He is asked about the feeling of winning without Rashid Khan, to which Rahmat honestly says that they did miss Rashid in this match. But praises the spinners for bowling really well in the middle overs. Credits Sediqullah Atal's fine knock and feels that their left-right combination (Atal-Rahmat partnership) was working well, which is why they won the match. On their win in alien conditions, Shah humbly says that Afghanistan are lucky to have Rashid Khan. Lauds the way he performed and also the way the top order gelled in this series.
Bit of a transition phase - The captain of Ireland, PAUL STIRLING, starts by saying that it is disappointing to lose the series 0-4. Admits that they were outplayed, and credits Rashid Khan, who dismantled them with the ball. But he also feels that Ireland had chances in all of those games, which they didn't take. Further mentions that they are very much used to playing with the same bunch of players, who play regularly, so this is a bit of a transition phase and they will look to build little by little and gear up for the World Cup Qualifiers.
PLAYER OF THE SERIES - The award goes to Afghanistan's star player, RASHID KHAN. The maestro was the leading wicket taker of the series, with 12 scalps at an average of 10.58 and an economy of 4.59. He also showed his potential with the bat in the third ODI, where a quickfire unbeaten 37 (43) helped the visitors overcome a self-inflicted nervy chase. Rashid calls this match win an amazing job, especially with the bat. Praises the manner in which Rahmat Shah and Sediqullah Atal took the chase deep. Understands that this was Afghanistan's highest successful run chase in ODIs. Feels very good to see the way Rahmat played, coming off the poor rut of form and hopes his form and Afghanistan's winning run continue. On how does the team move forward from here, Khan says that the team is moving in the right direction. But what they now need to think next is how to win against the bigger teams. Ends by saying that bowling and batting at the death need to improve and once they improve that, Afghanistan are going to be in good contention for the next World Cup.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - The award goes to the Afghan skipper, RAHMAT SHAH, for his magnificent unbeaten 143 (133). Rahmat says that it had been a long time since he made a hundred for his country, so he is happy. Adds that him and Sediqullah Atal just waited for the bad balls and had a chat about which bowlers to target and whom to give respect to. On the performance of Atal, Shah says that it was a good partnership between them and they took turns in attacking the bowlers.
... THE PRESENTATION ...
A good effort with the bat - Earlier, in the first innings, Ireland batted well after a sedate start, getting nearly close to 300, thanks to 101 runs coming in the last 10 overs. Curtis Campher (96) and Harry Tector (53) were at the centre of that masterpiece as they showcased Ireland's batting depth. Despite Rashid Khan not playing this game, Afghanistan bowled pretty well for the first 40 overs, but lost their way again in the last 10. Azmatullah Omarzai picked up 3 wickets but he too, received a lot of pasting at the death. The spinners - AM Ghazanfar, Nangeyalia Kharote and the surprise factor - Hashmatullah Shahidi - bowled really well in the middle overs, at least staving off 20-30 runs from Ireland's final total. Please stay tuned for the presentation...
Bang, then bust - That's how Ireland would have felt. Liam McCarthy got the stone rolling dismissing both the openers within his third over, but after that, the team had to wait for 35 overs for the third wicket. They tried their level best, but just could not break through that massive stand between Rahmat Shah and Sediqullah Atal. Additionally, George Dockrell went off the field with back spasms and his bowling was sorely missed. With limited bowling options, Paul Stirling tried to rotate his bowlers but just could not find a way to keep Afghanistan quiet. Liam McCarthy bowled his heart out, with 3/47 in 10 overs.
Take your time, it is a long day - In this fast age of T20s, T10s and the 100s, we actually forget that the game is not that short as it seems. Afghanistan certainly reminded us of that. At 22/2 in the 6th over, with both openers dismissed, they were against the wall. For the next few overs, the chase seemed to be stalled, with both, Sediqullah Atal and Rahmat Shah content in just blocking out the balls. Little did we know what was coming. The visitors were 49/2 after 15 overs. They reached 222/2 at the end of the 40th - that is, 173 runs in 25 overs. Clean batting, minimum risks taken. The pair respected the bowling when the conditions were tough. Then, when the conditions got slightly easier, cashed in. Rahmat and Atal targetted Gavin Hoey and never really looked back. The 201-run stand for the third wicket killed the chase around the 35th over itself. Atal missed out on his century by just 2 runs, but his skipper went on to bat till the end, finishing on an unbeaten 143, his highest score in ODIs. Before this match, Rahmat was going through a very lean patch but he saved his best for the last.
A day of firsts - Before this game, the highest score chased down by Afghanistan in ODIs was 283. Before this match, the highest successful ODI run chase in Belfast was 243. Before this day, Afghanistan had never managed a clean sweep over an opponent in a bilateral series of 4 or more matches. Managing all these firsts, AFGHANISTAN ALSO RECORD THEIR 10TH SUCCESSIVE ODI WIN OVER IRELAND! The last time the Irish did manage to beat the Afghans in an ODI was in the pre-Covid era, way back in 2019.
FOUR! AFGHANISTAN WIN 4-0! Fittingly, it is the skipper who seals the game. Half volley, on middle, Rahmat Shah leans across and flicks it through mid-wicket to find the fence. His hands go aloft in celebration and the Afghan fans are jumping up in sheer joy. AFGHANISTAN WIN BY 6 WICKETS AND 7 BALLS TO SPARE!
Right then. The best batter of the match gets a chance to finish this off.
SCORES LEVEL NOW. On a length, around off, Hashmatullah gets across and tucks it through mid on for a quick single.
A quick short ball, outside off, Shahidi looks to cut but gets a bottom edge which goes past the stumps behind.
Fuller, outside off, Hashmatullah Shahidi leans and drives it beautifully through the covers. Sweeper gets across to his left and slides, keeping the ball in play. The batters take a couple.
Dropped short, around middle, Rahmat Shah swivels across and pulls it to deep backward square leg for a single.
Should be the final over of the match and series. Moondra takes up the responsibility.
On a good length, around middle, Shahidi works it to the right of deep square leg for a couple. 13 from the over, Liam McCarthy finishes with bowling figures of 10-1-47-3.
FOUR! A bit too straight, Hashmatullah Shahidi tickles it to the fine leg fence to get off the mark. Just 7 more needed now.
Full and straight, the skipper eases this towards long on for a single.
FOUR! Slower ball, short in length, outside off, Shah waits for the ball to arrive and then cuts it behind point for a boundary.
Dropped short, outside off, Rahmat pulls it through mid-wicket for a couple.
On a length, outside off, Rahmat Shah feels for it but misses.
Medical attention for Shahidi. This is after that blow on the 5th ball of the previous over. The magic spray is done and we are ready to continue. Liam McCarthy will bowl out. 9-1-34-3 so far.
Outside off, tapped to point for a run. A wicket and 12 runs from the over, Jai Moondra's bowling figures read 9-0-58-1 so far.
That would have stung. On a good length, outside off, Hashmatullah Shahidi looks to defend but the ball rears up suddenly. Shahidi has nowhere to go and the ball pings him hard on the gloves, dropping down on the leg side. A quick single taken. In fact, leg bye has been signalled.
Hashmatullah Shahidi walks in next, at numbr 6, replacing Omarzai.
OUT! EXCEPTIONAL FROM HOEY! May not matter in the context of the game, but credit needs to be given where it is due. Dug in short, around off, Azmatullah Omarzai waits for the ball to arrive and then ramps it over short third. But he is not quite able to connect cleanly and the ball goes off the under edge. It goes low and wide to the right of short third by Gavin Hoey flings himself to his right and catches it one-handed! Somethng to celebrate for Ireland on this difficult day. Omarzai's cameo ends in a quickfire stand of 56. AFGHANISTAN ARE 279/4, needing another 20 runs from 20 balls.
On a good length, outside off, angling in, Azmatullah looks to tap and run, but gets it off the inner half of the bat, back to the bowler.
FOUR! Exceptional batting. Full, around off, Omarzai goes to the leg side again, reaches out and drives it through the covers. Paul Stirling dives to his right at cover but it is in vain and the ball races through.