Ireland clinched a convincing victory over Afghanistan in the inaugural encounter of the three-match series against the Afghan side at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday (March 15). The clash saw several brilliant performances and treated fans to a riveting encounter. Harry Tector and Benjamin White emerged as the star performers for the Irish side.
Harry Tector’s stellar innings
Asked to bat first, Ireland posted a total of 149/6 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to notable contributions from Tector, Paul Stirling, and Andy Balbirnie. Tector’s aggressive innings of 56 runs off 34 deliveries propelled Ireland’s innings, while Stirling and Balbirnie also provided valuable contributions with the bat.
Rashid Khan stars with the ball for Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s bowling effort was spearheaded by Rashid Khan, who claimed three crucial wickets, supported by Nangeyalia Kharote and Azmatullah Omarzai, who chipped in with two wickets each. However, despite their efforts, Afghanistan struggled to contain the Irish batters completely.
Mohammad Ishaq’s efforts in vain as Ben White stuns with the ball
Chasing a target of 150 runs for victory, Afghanistan faltered in their batting pursuit and were bundled out for 111 runs in 18.4 overs. Mohammad Ishaq showed resilience with the bat, scoring 32 runs, while Mohammad Nabi contributed 25 runs to the total. However, Ireland’s bowlers, led by White’s exceptional four-wicket haul, dominated the proceedings and restricted Afghanistan’s batting lineup.
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Ireland take the lead in the series
White’s impressive bowling performance earned him the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his match-winning contribution with the ball. With this victory, Ireland takes a 1-0 lead in the series, setting the stage for an exciting contest in the upcoming matches. The next match of the series is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 17, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, where Afghanistan will look to bounce back and level the series.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
Great stuff from @cricketireland in their T20 win over Afghanistan- great team performance but particularly from Harry Tector and @Benwhitey_ who took international best T20 of 4/20
— Phoenix Cricket Club (@phoenixcricket) March 15, 2024
Post the 2022 t20 World Cup, Harry Tector averages 32.58 in t20is. Great to see him transitioning into a wonderful t20 batter. His knock today is arguably his best t20 innings for Ireland. However, his 64*(33) vs India may have something to say about that.
— Irish Cricket Stats (@IreCricketStats) March 15, 2024
Harry Tector appreciation post.
— Sulay 🏏 (@Sulay177) March 15, 2024
T20 Cricket!! A single over can turn the tides in a minute!
What finish by Harry Tector who took Naveen to all parts! A wonderful knock by Tector and a terrible day on-field for Naveen. #AFGvIRE #IREvAFG
— Mirza Nomaan (@Nkashrafi) March 15, 2024
Harry Tector smash magnificent 50 against Afghanistan in 1st T20i
Last 4 balls
6,4,4,4 #T20 pic.twitter.com/t5kOm5kl6b— KrrishnaTweets (@KAakrosh) March 15, 2024
Great batting by @harry_tector to get @cricketireland up to a defendable total. ☘️🏏
— Stella Downes (@scorerstell) March 15, 2024
Andy Vermaut shares:Ireland beat Afghanistan by 38 runs in first T20I: Ireland defeated Afghanistan by 38 runs to take 1-0 lead in their three-match T20I series in Sharjah on Friday. Sent to bat first by Afghans who won the toss, Ireland posted… https://t.co/BUgn9CdlTt Thank you pic.twitter.com/mfyRWbapa5
— Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) March 16, 2024
Ireland beat Afghanistan in their home ground 🔥
— junaiz (@dhillow_) March 15, 2024
🚨Paul Stirling became the first-ever batter to score 400+ fours in Men’s T20I history🤯 #AFGvIRE #Ireland #IREvsAFG #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/ONbUPzsI1T
— S.G.Prabu 🇱🇰 (@sgprabuofficial) March 15, 2024
IRE WON BY 38 RUNS!
What a start to the T20I series! Ireland dominate Afghanistan in Sharjah 🔥 #AFGvIRET201 | #AFGvIRE pic.twitter.com/6YamA5G08l
— Tanveer Ahmed (@iamtanveer09) March 16, 2024
