Afghanistan have won the 3rd ODI from Ireland by 3 wickets and 31 balls to left. Afghanistan held their composure under pressure to edge past Ireland by three wickets in a thrilling contest. The victory gave Afghanistan a 2-0 lead in the series. Ireland, however, pushed their opponents deep into the chase before the Afghan side finally crossed the line.
Afghanistan chose to field first and made an early breakthrough through Fazalhaq Farooqi. Ireland then steadied themselves in the 3rd ODI against Afghanistan. Paul Stirling and Cade Carmichael added 44 runs to rebuild the innings. However, Afghanistan’s spinners soon took control.
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar and Rashid Khan ripped through the Irish middle order. Ghazanfar finished with 3/29, while Rashid claimed 3/44. Ireland slipped to 128/8 and appeared set for a modest total. Then came a crucial recovery.
Gavin Hoey and Jai Moondra combined for a 76-run ninth-wicket partnership. Their late surge lifted Ireland to 206 before the innings ended. Yamin Ahmadzai eventually broke the stand. He finished with 2/35. Afghanistan began the pursuit positively.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz led the way with an attacking 71 from 77 balls. Sediqullah Atal and Hashmatullah Shahidi also made useful contributions. For a while, Afghanistan looked comfortable. Ireland, however refused to give up.
Gavin Hoey produced a superb spell and removed Gurbaz in the 29th over. He then dismissed Darwish Rasooli soon after.
Mark Adair added another important wicket by removing Azmatullah Omarzai for 13. Suddenly, Afghanistan were in trouble at 176/7. With the match hanging in the balance, Rashid Khan stepped forward.
The Afghanistan star played a calm innings of 37 runs. He rotated the strike and avoided unnecessary risks as Ireland piled on the pressure.
At the other end, Yamin Ahmadzai showed remarkable patience. He scored only four runs from 26 deliveries, but his resistance proved valuable.
Hoey finished with an impressive four-wicket haul. Yet Ireland could not find the final breakthrough. Afghanistan eventually reached the target with three wickets remaining.
The result puts Afghanistan 2-0 ahead and gives them a firm grip on the series. Ireland can take plenty of encouragement from their performance. They turned a chase that initially looked comfortable into a tense battle.
However, Afghanistan handled the decisive moments better. Their spin attack created the opening. Gurbaz provided the platform. Then Rashid supplied the calm finish to the Afghanistan in 3rd ODI against Ireland.
As a result Afghanistan leave the contest with another victory and the series advantage firmly in their hands.