Afghanistan vs Ireland, 1st T20I: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Afghanistan and Ireland are scheduled to play three T20 Internationals, the first of which is scheduled to be played tomorrow at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The venue first hosted an international match when Bangladesh locked horns with the Asghar Afghan-captained Afghans, who are unbeaten at this ground after three matches.

The hosts would be playing a T20I after those games and they would want to carry on with their five-match winning streak. Ireland played the quadrangular T20I series, also involving Oman, Netherlands and Scotland. The team, led by the swashbuckling Paul Stirling, did reasonably well, but their job won’t be easy against Afghanistan bearing in mind the latter’s all-round strength

Match Details:

The first game of the three-match T20I series between Afghanistan and Ireland will be hosted by the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

The match starts at 6:30 PM local time (IST) (1:00 PM GMT).

The game will be live on D Sport in India.

 Last five completed T20I matches:

Afghanistan: W, W, W, W, W.

Ireland: W, L, W, L, L.

Pitch Condition/Report:

The pitch is good for batting, but the bowlers also have the chance to dictate terms, especially the spinners. Being a night match, batting second has to be the choice as due is likely to play a significant role in the second half.

Average first innings score: 148.67 (Three T20I matches)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 1, Lost – 2

Squads:

Afghanistan:

Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Shafiqullah Shafiq (WK), Asghar Afghan (C), Samiullah Shenwari, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Farid Malik, Sayed Shirzad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Bench – Najeeb Tarakai, Karim Janat, Ziaur Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Zahir Khan.

Ireland:

Paul Stirling (C), Kevin O’Brien, Andrew Balbirnie, Stuart Thompson, Simi Singh, Andy McBrine/Shane Getkate, Stuart Poynter (WK), George Dockrell, Joshua Little, Boyd Rankin, Peter Chase.

Bench – James Shannon, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker.

Injury and Availability News:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Power Picks:

Sayed Shirzad:

16 wickets from 8 matches at an average of 15.25 and S/R of 11.6 during the APL T20.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain options – Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien, Rashid Khan

Vice-Captain options – Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Andrew Balbirnie

Alternatives – Shafiqullah Shafiq, Asghar Afghan, Stuart Thompson

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Shafiqullah Shafiq

Batsmen – Hazratullah Zazai, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson, Andrew Balbirnie

All-Rounders – Mohammad Nabi (VC), Kevin O’Brien (C)

Bowlers – Rashid Khan, Sayed Shirzad, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Boyd Rankin

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Shafiqullah Shafiq

Batsmen – Asghar Afghan, Hazratullah Zazai, Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie

All-Rounders – Mohammad Nabi, Kevin O’Brien (VC)

Bowlers – Rashid Khan (C), Sayed Shirzad, Boyd Rankin, Peter Chase

Expert Advice:

Picks from Batsmen category:

Best – Stirling, Balbirnie, Zazai

Safe – Thompson, Ghani, Afghan

Risky – Getkate, Zadran

Probable Winners:

Afghanistan are most likely to win the match.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

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