The Super 12 stage is spicing up with the progression of the tournament. In match 25 of the tournament, we would be witnessing Afghanistan taking on Ireland which promises to be a good contest. Both teams have had contrasting journeys in the tournament. While Afghanistan didn't have to play in Round 1, Ireland played it and stormed into the Super 12 stage.
Overview
Afghanistan: The Asian cricketing nation would be looking forward to taking on the challenge of Ireland. They lost to England in the first match. Their second match against New Zealand got washed out. They'll be looking forward to winning the first match of the tournament.
They have a pretty decent squad. A young aggressive opener like Rahmanullah Gurbaz can play a big role in their chances. But they might miss the experience of Hazratullah Zazai, their experienced campaigner, who suffered a muscle injury during the training session. The middle order looks good on paper. The likes of Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, and Najibullah Zadran are all really good batters. The experienced Mohammad Nabi brings balance to the side with his batting capabilities and spin bowling.
But it's often the case that their batters don't put enough runs on the board. Afghanistan batters really need to work on it. The bouncy pitches of Australia don't suit their style either. Their bowling attack is one to reckon with. Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan, Fareed Ahmed Malik, and Mohammad Nabi form a good bowling attack. It's not wrong to say that bowling is their strength. But they've to improve their death bowling.
Ireland: They would be on an absolute high after beating a world-class side like England in their previous encounter. They would be looking forward to the challenge of the spin-heavy Afghanistan side. They play Afghanistan a lot often in T20 internationals. That makes the contest a lot more interesting as well.
They have some quality batters in their lineup like Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, Harry Tector, and Lorcan Tucker. George Dockrell is a good bowling all-rounder in their lineup. But Curtis Campher is their man that brings balance to the side. Someone who can genuinely win matches both with the bat and with the ball.
Their bowling is pretty good as well with the likes of Joshua Little, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Gareth Delany, and Simi Singh in their lineup. The pace and bounce of the Australian conditions suit their bowlers more than that of Afghanistan. It might well decide the fate of the match.
Probable Playing XIs
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Darwish Rasooli/Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (C), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmed Malik and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (C), Lorcan Tucker (WK), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, and Joshua Little.
Pitch/Weather Report
The match will be played at the mighty Melbourne Cricket ground. The matches in the venue so far have seen domination of pace over spin. The boundaries are so long across all parts of the stadium. Strike rotation and running between the wickets would be the key to posting good totals. The bowlers might look to make use of extra bounce off the surface.
The forecast, unfortunately, isn't great though. The maximum temperature for the game would be 14°C and the minimum temperature can go as low as 9°C. There is a high chance (70%) of rain interrupting the game. The conditions might be windy. So swing bowlers might fancy their chances.
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne.
Date and Time: 28th Oct 2022, Sunday, 9:00 AM (IST).
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney Plus Hotstar.
Interesting Facts.
- Head to Head: Both teams have faced each other 23 times in the shortest format of the game. Afghanistan has won 16 of these games, while Ireland has managed to win 6 games. One game between the two sides ended in a tie.
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman is 4 wickets away from completing 50 T20 international wickets.
- Harry Tector would be playing his 50th T20 international game.
- Paul Stirling is the fifth-highest run-getter in T20 internationals (3133 runs).
- With 81 wickets in 109 innings, George Dockrell is Ireland's leading wicket-taker in the shortest format of the game.
- With 119 wickets from 72 T20 internationals, Afghanistan's Rashid Khan is the third-highest wicket-taker in the shortest format of the game. He's just 4 wickets away from the second-highest wicket-taker (Shakib Al Hasan) and 6 wickets away from the highest wicket-taker (Tim Southee) respectively.
Dream 11 Team
Joshua Little (Captain)
Curtis Campher (Vice Captain)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Paul Stirling
Andrew Balbirnie
Mohammad Nabi
George Dockrell
Najibullah Zadran
Rashid Khan
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Mark Adair
