AFG vs IRE Head to Head Records in T20Is- 2nd T20I, 2024

Afghanistan and Ireland go head to head in the AFG vs IRE 2nd T20I in Sharjah on Sunday, March 17. Afghanistan lost the first T20I and faced a must-win situation in the last two games. Afghanistan lost the first T20I by 38 runs as they failed to chase 150.

Harry Tector’s unbeaten 56 took Ireland to 149/6 in their 20 overs. Andrew Balbirnie took 22 while skipper Paul Stirling scored 25. Rashid Khan on his return took 3/19 while debutant Nangeyalia Kharote took two. 

Afghanistan’s batting performance was disappointing as they struggled to chase down 150 on a batting-friendly wicket. Six of their batters scored in single digits in the chase, as the Afghans fell well short. Mohammad Ishaq, the keeper-batter scored 32 and top-scored in the chase. Mohammad Nabi scored 25 and Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai scored 16. Naveen Ul Haq scored 13 batting at number 10. 

In 24 AFG vs IRE T20Is now Ireland has won seven games while Afghanistan still leads the race with 16. The Rashid Khan-led side has to make a resounding comeback to keep the series. 

The Afghanistan batting has not stood up consistently in the series. Rahmanullah Gurbaz has blown hot and cold since scoring a century in the first ODI and a 51 in the third. Ibrahim Zadran looks woefully out of form as well. Their bowlers set up the game in the first T20I but the batters did not back their bowlers. 

For Ireland, their experienced bowling core of Mark Adair, Craig Young, Geroge Dockrell, Benjamin White, Gareth Delany, and Barry McCarthy helped them win the match with their top bowling performance. They need to keep up the form in the remaining two games. 

Their batting lineup is very dependent on Harry Tector. The openers in Balbirnie and skipper Stirling did not give the team the ideal start it needed. Also, the lower order choked in front of the Afghan spinners. They will have to rectify that in the remaining two games. 

AFG vs IRE Head To Head Records (Overall Stats)

AFG vs IRE: Key Statistics

Afghanistan have dominated Ireland in white-ball formats. They have won 34 games including ODIs and T20Is compared to only 20 by Ireland. The first T20I win was their seventh overall in 24 matches against Afghanistan. 

AFG vs IRE: Recent 5 Encounters

Interestingly, Ireland have won three out of the last five T20Is against Afghanistan. The T20 World Cup 2022 game was a washout which was the last game between the two sides.

Key Moments and Stand-out Performances (Players)

Paul Stirling has now scored 543 runs against Afghanistan, the most by any batter from both sides. Rashid Khan now has 40 T20I wickets against Ireland. He has a chance to get to 50 scalps in this series.

Trends and Patterns

Afghanistan has won 16 of the 24 T29I matches against Ireland to date. The Irish side has won seven. Interestingly, they won three out of the last five games. 

AFG vs IRE Head to Head Records in T20Is- 2nd T20I, 2024

Matches Played: 24

Afghanistan Won-16

Ireland Won- 7

Most Runs For Afghanistan-Hazratullah Zazai-466

Most Wickets For Afghanistan- Rashid Khan- 40

Most Runs For Ireland- Paul Stirling- 543

Most Wickets For Ireland- Josh Little-16

Conclusion 

As said earlier, Afghanistan faces a must-win situation in the remaining two games. They need to win both to win the series. A few players from both teams will depart for IPL 2024 after the T20I series is over.

Also Read: ‘Several contenders have come up’ – Dale Steyn’s stunning take on Virat Kohli’s T20 WC selection