Big picture – A rare Test for Afghanistan and Ireland
Six-and-a-half years ago, these two sides were awarded Full Member status, but aside from the financial perks that brings, that promotion for Ireland and Afghanistan has seemed little more than theoretical. Neither side is part of the World Test Championship; none of them have even played a three-match Test series. The two have combined for 15 Tests, nearly all of them stand-alone, one-off games tacked on like afterthoughts to a white-ball series.
Related
Form guide
Afghanistan LLWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland LLLLL
In the spotlight – Gurbaz and Tucker
Team news
Afghanistan’s biggest challenge concerns papering over Rashid’s absence. Left arm wristspinner Zahir Khan is back in the squad after missing out against Sri Lanka, and uncapped legspinner Khalil Gurbaz has also been drafted in.
Afghanistan: 1 Ibrahim Zadran 2 Noor Ali Zadran 3 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk) 4 Rahmat Shah 5 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt) 6 Ikram Alikhil 7 Nasir Jamal 8 Zia ur Rehman 9 Nijat Masood 10 Naveed Zadram 11 Zahir Khan
Left arm spinner Theo van Woerkom, who switched allegiances from New Zealand to Ireland and made his white-ball debut last year, looks set to play his first Test in a line-up that otherwise looks similar to Ireland’s recent Test starting XIs.
Ireland: 1 James McCollom 2 Peter Moor 3 Andrew Balbirnie (capt) 4 Harry Tector 5 Paul Stirling 6 Curtis Campher 7 Lorcan Tucker (wk) 8 Mark Adair 9 Andy McBrine 10 Theo van Woerkom 11 Craig Young
Pitch and conditions
There was a late change of venue for this Test match. Originally scheduled for the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, the game will now be played at the Tolerance Oval adjacent to the bigger ground. Ireland, who selected their initial squad on the assumption the Sheikh Zayed Stadium doesn’t take too much red-ball turn, only learned of the change after arriving in the UAE. With this being the first Test at the Oval, conditions are a bit of a mystery, though weather is not expected to play spoilsport.
Stats and trivia
- The Tolerance Oval will be the 122nd venue to host Test match cricket.
- Afghanistan’s dependence on Rashid reflects in the wickets charts. The legspinner has taken 34 in five matches, 16 clear of his closest compatriot, Amir Hamza, who has 18.
- Should Ireland register a win in either of their next three Tests, they will pip Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh and New Zealand in the number of matches taken to register their first Test win
Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo’s Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
Source: ESPN Crickinfo