News

DEHRADUN – A sensational, record-breaking hundred from Andy Balbirnie helped Ireland chase down 257 in the third ODI against Afghanistan, levelling the series 1-1 with two games left to play.
Balbirnie’s innings began with his side in trouble at 13-1, which soon became 29-3 as Dawlat Zadran and Mujeeb Ur Rahman pegged Ireland’s reply back early on. He received some support from Kevin O’Brien, but the game’s defining partnership was shared with George Dockrell.

The pair added 143 – Ireland’s second highest for the fifth wicket in ODIs – and though Dockrell fell with victory still 41 runs away, Balbirnie stayed strong, and in the company of Andy McBrine, guided Ireland to a famous victory.

For a time, it looked as if an Irish win would be a rather more comfortable affair, as Tim Murtagh and Ireland’s spinners combined to reduce their opponents to 74-5. Murtagh claimed both openers, the first, Mohammad Shahzad, LBW with one which skidded on, and the second, the dangerous and in-form Hazratullah Zazai, who had already struck two sixes, with a direct hit from short fine leg.

In between, McBrine, who reprised his role as opening bowler, had Rahmat Shah leg-before, turning the ball a long way back in, before his spin counterparts, Dockrell and James Cameron-Dow, got in on the act, claiming a wicket apiece.

Image: Tim Murtagh and Kevin O’Brien share a light hearted moment

Cameron-Dow claimed his maiden international scalp by bowling Hashmatullah Shahidi off the inside edge, before Balbirnie took a superb catch at slip to send Samiullah Shinwari on his way.

Thereafter followed an excellent partnership of 117 between Afghanistan’s captain, Asghar Afghan, and Najibullah Zadran, who continued on to make his maiden ODI century. The landmark came up in the final over, emphasising the exemplary pacing of the knock. He accumulated 34 off his first 60 balls before accelerating, plundering 74 off his last 38, in which time he struck five sixes.

Boyd Rankin did his best to limit the damage, removing Afghan for 75 – cramped for room and caught at fine leg off a ramp shot – Mohammad Nabi, caught behind.

Murtagh claimed Rashid Khan, who holed out to Simi Singh on the off-side boundary for 8, and though there was no stopping Najibullah’s fireworks, stemming the flow from the other end meant Ireland faced a chase of 257 to stay in with a chance of winning the series.

That still looked a long way off as Mujeeb pinned captain William Porterfield on the pads with one which kept low, before Dawlat’s double-strike set Ireland back further.

The in-form Paul Stirling had seemed set to make another big score, scoring freely early on, but mis-timed another attempted big shot to Afghan at mid-on, and Simi Singh fell three balls later, another LBW victim.

Balbirnie was forced to play out a maiden off Dawlat as Afghanistan looked to tighten the screws, but O’Brien helped loosen the shackles, punching Mujeeb for four before Balbirnie swept Ireland’s first six in the same over.

The pair smashed 16 runs off Shinwari’s second over, but the ball after striking his only six, O’Brien attempted to repeat the trick and only succeeded in giving mid-on a catch.

A period of calm was needed, and the next eight overs passed boundary-less. Dockrell outside-edged for four to bring the trend to an end, while Balbirnie was more authoritative, driving and pulling Dawlat for a pair of boundaries.

His fifty soon came up, followed by a moment of fortune, as he was dropped at the square leg fence, and dropped for six too. After that, there was no stopping him. He finished with nine sixes – an Irish record – including a definitive slog-sweep off Rashid.

Dockrell was game to play a supporting hand, but got in the act as the result neared, striking a six over long-on to bring up his fifty, before coming down the track, missing, and being stumped at the second attempt. It brought to an end an eventful over, which also saw Balbirnie dropped at midwicket, and when Poynter holed out to deep square off Rashid in the next, the tension heightened.

Balbirnie however was nerveless, striking the bowling to all parts, a penultimate-over missed chance notwithstanding. With McBrine tucking singles at the other end, Ireland completed the chase with six balls remaining. Balbirnie’s 145* was Ireland’s third-highest ODI score of all time, and he ended with 55.77 per cent of his team’s runs.

Quotes

William Porterfield at the end of match presentation said:

“I can’t speak highly enough of Balbo’s knock, it was a phenomenal knock, to go out there and execute everything he’s been talking about doing and working on is great to see. And not just getting the hundred, but getting us over the line is great to see.”

“We’ve had some very tightly contested series’ over the last while – the last time we played them in Sharjah we beat them 2-1, then in Ireland they beat us 2-1 – but we always have great character and bounce back, and will look at taking that into the next match in two day’s time.”

Andrew Balbirnie at the end of match presentation said:

“Like William [Porterfield] said, we’ve been in this position before at [Greater] Noida a few years ago and struggled to get a win. So just for a morale boost for all the lads, it’s a long tour, so to get that win going in with two games to go is huge for the team.”

“Hopefully we’ve got confidence now. I thought the bowlers did extremely well – the Afghans batted well in the middle, but we managed to drag it back a bit. The guys up top, Tim Murtagh and Andy McBrine, did really well. It wasn’t a perfect performance, there’s still things to work on, but we’re one-all with two games to go and that is great.”

Andrew Balbirnie after the game said:

“We lost the toss, but I don’t think bowling first was that bad as we historically chase quite well. We managed to negate their key threats, which is always the battle with playing Afghanistan who have two high class spinners. George [Dockrell] came in and we built quite a good partnership there to set up the game, and Kevin and Stirlo came in and showed their intent from the off so, it was just a good all round game, we can certainly play better but to get the first win on tour is great.”

Asked about the feeling in the team room at the innings break:

“It wasn’t that bad, we could have been sharper in the field, particularly when Asghar and Najibullah were putting a partnership together. 256 was always going to be a tough enough chase batting second against the spinners they have, but the way we went about it from the off was pretty good – it was a good chase.”

Asked about his batting approach today:

“I think just stuck to my strengths – I got out sweeping the other day, but I didn’t want to put that in the locker because it’s a strong shot of mine. To bring that out today and play it quite well is good for or me and my confidence. It hasn’t been ideal not being able to train the last couple of days but it gave us a bit of time to watch their bowlers on the laptop. The way we played them was good, but we could still be better, which the exciting thing.”

Asked about George Dockrell’s support with the bat:

“He batted brilliantly – I think he’s been given the role as number 6 because he’s shown he can be a batter in this team. He came in and showed a calm head, he knew what he wanted to do, and that took a bit of pressure off me. That he was about to do that with such ease, it’s a shame he didn’t get to see it through with me, but he played a brilliant knock.”

SCOREBOARD IN BRIEF

Afghanistan v Ireland, One-Day International, 5 March 2019, Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun

Afghanistan 256-8 (N Zadran 104*, A Afghan 75; B Rankin 2-56, T Murtagh 2-60)
Ireland 260-6 (A Balbirnie 145*, G Dockrell 54; D Zadran 2-52)

Ireland won by four wickets with six balls remaining.

A full scorecard can be found here.

Ben Gardner, Wisden
Balbirnie hit 145* in a memorable run chase
No
Connaught