Deadline: March 6, 2020 at 2 PM IST
Venue: Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, Greater Noida
Pitch report
The pitch at Greater Noida is an absolute featherbed for the batsmen. In three T20Is played here, 200 runs have been breached twice and it happened in the same match: Ireland scored 205 all out in pursuit of Afghanistan’s massive target of 234 runs.
Fantasy team
We have opted for a fantasy team on the basis of players’ impact, recent performances, and credit points.
You can also check players’ performances in the last 5 matches. Tap on the players’ images to get the data while making your fantasy team.
Wicketkeeper: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Batsmen: Asghar Afghan, Hazratullah Zazai, Andy Balbirnie
All-rounders: Paul Stirling (vc), Muhammad Nabi (vc), Gulbadin Naib, Gareth Delany
Bowlers: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan, Boyd Rankin
NOTE: Pick your fantasy cricket team wisely.
Power players
Paul Stirling is the highest run-scorer in T20Is between Ireland and Afghanistan. He has blasted 471 runs with a strike rate of 147, including three fifties.
Mohammad Nabi has had his moments against Ireland. He has scored 468 runs including two half-centuries. In addition he has trapped 15 Irishmen in his off-spin. He is the No. 1 all-rounder in ICC T20I Rankings for a reason.
Gareth Delany has been Ireland’s top all-rounder in the past 6 months. In 20 games he has scored 383 runs at 25.5 and scalped 16 wickets.
Hazratullah Zazai is the only centurion for Afghanistan against Ireland. His 162* is the second-highest score in the format. In all he has scored 360 runs with a strike rate of 209 against them.
Rashid Khan, the No. 1 bowler in ICC T20I Rankings, has taken 29 wickets at 7.2 against Ireland, including two four-wicket and as many five-wicket hauls. In the previous series between these sides, he became the first player in T20Is and second overall to take 4 wickets in 4 balls.
For Ireland, Boyd Rankin has been their wrecker-in-chief with the ball, taking 9 wickets 7 games.
Did you know?
Ireland have won only 3 of 15 T20Is against Afghanistan. The last time they won was in 2013.
Probable XIs
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Asghar Afghan (c), Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Shapoor Zadran, Naveen-ul-Haq
Ireland: Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien, Andie Balbirnie (c), Shane Getkate, Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young, Josh Little/George Dockrell
Also, get to know the tips & tricks on how to play fantasy cricket.