Ireland vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I: Probable XIs, Match Prediction, Pitch Report, Weather Forecast and Live Streaming Details

Pakistan v Afghanistan - ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 (Image courtesy: Getty)

Ireland host Afghanistan in a five-match T20I series, with the first game set to be played on Tuesday (August 09) at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast.

Ireland have played a lot of cricket in recent times, hosting teams like India, New Zealand and South Africa. However, they lost all three of their series. Their most recent two-match T20I series against South Africa, held earlier this month, ended in a 0-2 defeat.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, last played a T20I series in June 2022 against Zimbabwe. They won all the matches in the series, coming out with a successful result of 3-0.

Both sides will be keen to begin this five-match series with a win and gain early momentum.

Ireland vs Afghanistan Match Details

Match: Ireland vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I, Afghanistan tour of Ireland, 2022.

Date and Time: Tuesday, August 9, 2022, 08:00 pm IST.

Venue: Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast.

Ireland vs Afghanistan Pitch Report

The pitch at this venue is ideal for teams batting second. 13 out of 21 T20Is have been won by teams chasing so far. The average first-innings total here is 123 and the team that wins the toss should look to bowl first.

Ireland vs Afghanistan Weather Forecast

The weather looks promising for a full game of cricket with clear skies. Temperatures are expected to hover around the 22-degree Celsius-mark.

Ireland vs Afghanistan Probable XIs

Ireland

Probable XI

Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, Andy McBrine, Harry Tractor, Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little.

Afghanistan

Probable XI

Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad/ Karim Janat.

Ireland vs Afghanistan Match Prediction

Ireland have played some really good cricket throughout the last three series that they have been a part of. However, they have not been able to convert their performances into winning results, which is something that they will be keen to do in this series.

Ireland have a well-balanced squad with enough firepower in their batting and bowling as well.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, dominated their last T20I series against Zimbabwe. They have a good mix of experience and youth in the side. Afghanistan are filled with match-winners in this format and they will start as favorites to win this match.

Prediction: Afghanistan to win this clash.