Afghanistan vs Ireland, 4th ODI, Match Prediction – Weather Report, Pitch Conditions, Playing XIs and Live Streaming Details

Afghanistan were humbled by Ireland in the third ODI by a margin of 4 wickets.

Published - 07 Mar 2019, 16:15 IST | Updated - 07 Mar 2019, 16:15 IST

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Despite Afghanistan’s superiority in the five-match series, one man in the Ireland team kept faith in his ability. Andrew Balbirnie played one of the best ODI knocks in the last few years to stun the hosts in the third ODI at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun. His unbeaten 145 chasing a score of 257 handed over Ireland their first win on this tour.

After having been decimated by the opposition in the T20Is and the first ODI, no one gave the Irishmen a chance. However, now that they have levelled the series 1-1 with two more games to go, Ireland will believe they can win the series as well. Yet, it will not be an easy task for the Afghans, who will be hurt after the loss in the last match. They will be hoping to make a strong comeback and take a lead in the series.

Pitch and Conditions

The Dehradun track has shown many shades of it in the last two weeks. While the batsmen have struggled to put bat on ball on some occasions, it has been a belter to bat on in the other games. The track appears to be good for batting once the batters get their eye in. They will have to spend some time initially even though runs don’t come at a fair clip as they can catch-up later. There is some assistance for the spinners and the weather is predicted to be pleasant during the match time.

Team Combinations

Afghanistan

Afghanistan might not experiment much with their eleven for this crucial encounter. They could field almost the same eleven as they did in the last match. Gulbadin Naib is expected to come back into the side. Also, they might look at the opportunity of giving Shapoor Zadran a go out there in the middle ahead of the World Cup 2019. If they decide to do so, the left-arm pacer might replace Dawlat Zadran.

Predicted XI: Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan (C), Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Dawlat Zadran/Shapoor Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Ireland

Ireland are likely to play the same eleven from the third ODI. They will not want to mess around with the winning combination. Expectations will be high on Andrew Balbirnie after his masterclass. The bowling attack has also been doing fairly well. It is high time that the senior players like William Porterfield, Paul Stirling, and Kevin O’Brien step up and deliver for the team.

Predicted XI: William Porterfield (C), Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, Andy McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, Simi Singh, Stuart Poynter (WK), George Dockrell, Tim Murtagh, Barry McCarthy, Boyd Rankin.