Ireland vs Afghanistan – 2nd T20 International Preview & Prediction

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THE FACTS

When is Ireland vs Afghanistan taking place? Thursday, August 11th, 2022 – 15:30 (UK)

Where is Ireland vs Afghanistan taking place? Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast

What is the expected weather for Ireland vs Afghanistan? 23-25c, dry with sunny intervals throughout and light winds

What channel is Ireland vs Afghanistan on? This game will be televised in the UK live on BT Sport.

Where can I stream Ireland vs Afghanistan? BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match live via the BT Sport website and app

LAST MEETING
Ireland beat Afghanistan by seven wickets.

THE LOWDOWN

IRELAND

• After losing 12 of their last 13 T20i fixtures against Afghanistan, Ireland finally broke the chain with victory on Tuesday by seven wickets, as they chased down 169 with just one ball to spare in a thrilling encounter.
• Most pleasing from Ireland’s point of view was the way that all of their batters utilised contributed to the win, with two half centuries among the top five along with a score of 31 and the two not out batters finishing on 25 and 10 respectively.

AFGHANISTAN

• On a good pitch for batting in Belfast, Afghanistan stuttering in the middle overs of their innings arguably proved the decisive factor in their defeat, with them ultimately ending up with a score of 168/7 when at one stage they could have easily ended up with 180 or more.
• The bowlers struggled to take wickets throughout and this is something the tourists will need to look at, because having wickets in hand, allowed their opponents a level of control across their run chase which Afghanistan could never quite wrestle back.

THE PREDICTION

It will be very interesting to see how Afghanistan respond to losing in this series, as their star spin bowlers failed to prise out the Irish top order in Belfast. After a summer of tasting defeat, Ireland finally have some momentum to work with, but it won’t be easy for them to repeat the batting performance shown by them on Tuesday. Afghanistan are a wily opposition with plenty of experience among their bowlers, who will likely be much better following a first match in Belfast to get used to conditions. With that in mind, it’s worth backing the tourists to respond in the best possible way, by levelling the series.