Afghanistan vs Ireland – 3rd One-Day International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Afghanistan vs Ireland taking place? Tuesday 26th January, 2021 – 05:30 (UK)
Where is Afghanistan vs Ireland taking place? Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
What is the expected weather for Afghanistan vs Ireland? 23c with sunshine
What channel is Afghanistan vs Ireland on? The match will be televised live in the UK on FreeSports (Sky channel 422)
Where can I stream Afghanistan vs Ireland? The match will not be streamed live in the UK
LAST MEETING
Afghanistan beat Ireland by 7 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
AFGHANISTAN
- Afghanistan produced yet another solid display on Sunday to win the second ODI which has sealed the series for them as they won by seven wickets with 28 balls to spare thanks to Rahmat Shah’s unbeaten 103.
- Their key strength in the last two games has been dragging the game back in their favour at key times as they managed to break the partnership between Stirling and Campher when it looked like Ireland could post 300 to take regular wickets and keep them to just 259/9.
- While they may be tempted to rotate one or two players, the likelihood is that they keep a strong side to aim for the whitewash victory and stamp their authority to gain more points in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League.
IRELAND
- Ireland succumbed to defeat against Afghanistan on Sunday as their 259/9 proved to be nowhere near enough despite the heroics of Paul Stirling who smashed an impressive 128 from 132 to underpin their innings.
- Stirling was in superb form hitting 12 fours and four sixes but he did not have enough support with only Curtis Campher managing to spend enough time at the crease to threaten posting big total but Naveen-ul-Haq and Mujeeb Ur Rahman combined for seven wickets and restricted them.
- It will be interesting to see if the Irish selectors decide to make any changes to the team and the batting order especially could be adjusted with Kevin O’Brien dropping down the order and Curtis Campher potentially moving up given his solid form with the bat.
THE PREDICTION
The first two matches in the ODI series have been keenly contested so far but ultimately it has been the Afghans that have had the clear edge in decisive moments. Their ability to take wickets at key moments has served them well whether batting or bowling first and that will likely play out the same way in this final game. With Super League points on offer, that should serve as good motivation for both teams in this dead rubber. Ultimately, Ireland just lack the depth and quality to really push Afghanistan who are favoured to make it three from three in this series.
