IRE vs AFG 2026, IRE vs AFG 4th ODI Match Report, August 12, 2026

Afghanistan 343 for 9 (Atal 143, Ibrahim Zadran 107, McDonough 3-84, Hoey 2-71) beat Eire 301 (Balbirnie 109, Campher 84, Ahmadzai 4-71, Rashid 3-49) by 42 runs

Afghanistan flexed their batting would possibly to take an unassailable 3-0 lead within the five-match collection towards Ireland on Wednesday in Belfast, with one match nonetheless to play.

Having already secured a direct entry to the 2027 World Cup, Afghanistan batted like a aspect looking for a template shift. They usually managed to take action fairly spectacularly, courtesy of centuries from Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal that shaped the bedrock of their imposing 343 for 9 after Eire put them in.

In reply, Eire did not throw within the towel, however that did not make their run chase spectacular. They had been bowled out for 301 in 48 overs, by no means as soon as difficult Afghanistan. They finally fell 42 runs quick, with Andy Balbirnie‘s 109 being scant comfort.

Eire had the best begin as they eliminated in-form Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the top-scorer from Monday’s thriller, in simply the second over. However all the enjoyment dissipated shortly as Atal and Zadran despatched them on a leather-based hunt for a greater a part of the innings, the pair placed on 231, the highest-ever second-wicket stand for Afghanistan in ODIs. Alongside the way in which, they eclipsed a 16-year document held by Karin Sadiq and Mohammad Shahzad, who placed on 218 towards Scotland.

Zadran performed copy e book cricket for a lot of his knock, counting on strike rotation. Atal was the extra enterprising, utilizing his toes usually to hit down city towards legspinner Gavin Hoey. It appeared like a deliberate plan to throw Gavin Hoey off his lengths to stop him from dictating phrases, as he had within the earlier recreation with a four-for.

Zadran received to his half-century off 56 balls, earlier than choosing up the tempo. The following fifty got here solely a tad faster – off 51 – as Zadran raised his seventh ODI century, proving to be rock strong and technically adept at countering steep bounce from the tall Byron McDonough and Liam McCarthy, who changed left-arm seamer Jai Moondra.

Atal marked his twenty fifth birthday with a century, displaying nice presence of thoughts within the center overs together with his capacity to select boundaries usually, particularly towards spin on the slightest signal of the innings slipping into autopilot. He saved injecting contemporary vitality to place the strain proper again on the bowlers. At one level, it appeared like Atal was effectively on his solution to 150 and past, till a miscued slog all the way down to long-on minimize his innings quick on 143. By then, he’d hit 17 fours and 4 sixes.

Cameos from Darwish Rasooli and Rashid Khan then held them inch nearer to the 350-run mark, the final ten overs producing simply 86 as Afghanistan slipped a contact from a commanding 257 for two.

Eire started their reply sedately, displaying hardly any urgency wanted to surmount a complete this large. The primary eight overs introduced them simply 25 as Yamin Ahmadzai and Azmatullah Omarzai made the ball discuss in a powerful opening burst of swing bowling. Paul Stirling was routinely overwhelmed and Balbirnie largely enjoying inside himself within the hope of taking the chase deep.

The issue with that technique was it did not account for Rashid’s menace by the center overs. Though two of his three wickets got here in direction of the tip of his spell, Rashid was correct and saved the strain up. Stirling fell within the eleventh over on the first signal of spin as thriller spinner AM Ghazanfar trapped him lbw. Cade Carmichael adopted swimsuit.

Harry Tector then placed on 76 for the third wicket with Balbirnie, however as soon as Tector holed out to deep backward sq., the innings utterly derailed because the asking price mounted. Eire had been by no means in it, and their troubles had been exacerbated additional with Rashid returning to take away centurion Balbirnie and Ben Calitz off consecutive deliveries..

With the chase all however gone, Curtis Campher channelled his T20 recreation by bashing an unreal 84 off 46, an innings that comprised a few of the most uncomplicated swing-through-the-line hitting that introduced him eight fours and 5 sixes. When he was the ninth man out within the forty eighth, he’d helped Eire nudge previous 300 when it checked out one stage as if they may lose by a much bigger margin than that.

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