Rashid Khan blasts 55 off 30 and takes two wickets as Lorcan Tucker, Andy McBrine career-bests go in vain
Afghanistan 287 for 9 (Gurbaz 127, Khan 55) beat Ireland 271 for 9 (Tucker 83, Naveen 3-68) by 16 runs
A boundary-laden century on debut from 19-year-old Rahmanullah Gurbaz led Afghanistan to their first World Cup Super League points with victory over Ireland in Abu Dhabi. Gurbaz made 127 from as many balls, with eight fours and nine sixes – the most by an ODI debutant – before Rashid Khan’s ballistic 55 from 30 took Afghanistan to a total that would prove just beyond Ireland’s reach.
Ireland wicketkeeper-batsman Lorcan Tucker made a career-best 83, to follow Andy McBrine‘s maiden ODI five-for, but they fell short despite some valiant hitting towards the end. Khan also took 2 for 56, including the key wicket of Tucker, while rookie seamer Naveen-ul-Haq claimed 3 for 68.
The day belonged to Gurbaz, who became the first player to score a hundred on debut for Afghanistan. He tallied two-thirds of his team’s runs while he was at the wicket, reaching three figures from 115 balls before hitting 27 from his next 12 only to hole out against Gareth Delany’s legspin with more than 12 overs to go.
At that stage, Afghanistan were 198 for 6 and Ireland might have been hoping to restrict them further. They had already reined things in after Gurbaz and Javed Ahmadi had put on 120 for the first wicket, McBrine claiming each of the first five to fall – including three caught at leg slip – on the way to figures of 5 for 29.
But the last five overs of the innings went for 66, as Khan unleashed with another five sixes to leave Ireland needing to pull of their biggest successful chase against Afghanistan.
Naveen struck straight away, Kevin O’Brien trapped lbw for 1 in the third over, and he also claimed the important wicket of Andy Balbirnie, Ireland’s captain, inside the Powerplay. Paul Stirling and Harry Tector put on 50 for the third wicket before falling in succession, and although Tucker added 86 with Curtis Campher the required rate was rising for Ireland.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman broke the stand, having Campher lbw for 39 with Ireland needing 114 from 13.2 overs, and that had become 35 from 14 by the time Tucker was stumped trying to come down the pitch to Khan.
The result gives Afghanistan 10 World Cup Super League points with two games left to play in the series. Ireland have 10 points from four games, after beating England in their previous WCSL fixture.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo