Belfast, Aug 10: Captain Andrew Balbirnie snapped Ireland’s eight-match losing streak in T20I after beating Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first of five T20Is at Belfast with just one ball remaining.
Chasing 169, Lorcan Tucker and Balbirnie (51) hit quickfire half-centuries before Harry Tector (25 not out off 15 balls) and George Dockrell (10 not out off five balls) took Ireland over the finishing line.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit three boundaries to get the visitors moving. Gurbaz perished in the very next over though, swatting a Barry McCarthy delivery to Harry Tector at mid-off to depart for 26.
Usman Ghani and Hashmatullah Shahidi put aside that setback to keep the scoreboard ticking along. Ghani advanced to his fourth T20I half-century, helping Afghanistan past 100. But spin brought another breakthrough for Ireland as Gareth Delany struck with the last ball of the 14th over, with Najibullah Zadran top-edging the leg-spinner to McBrine at backward point. Soon, Afghanistan finished on 168-7.
In response, Balbirnie looked in fine touch from the get-go, swivel-pulling Fazalhaq Farooqi from the final ball of the third over to move 19 off just 10. Paul Stirling, playing in his 300th T20, was watchful to begin with, seeing off a Naveen-ul-Haq maiden in the powerplay. But he eventually found his feet, smashing Azmatullah and Naveen for sixes as Ireland motored to fifty inside six overs.
Tucker and Balbirnie later motored along, with the latter reaching his half-century from 34 balls at the end of the 14th over. Tucker advanced to a half century from just 31 balls, but Naveen accounted for him in the 18th over.
Ireland then scored 13 in the last over to win. (IANS)
