IRE vs AFG Dream11 Prediction 1st T20I, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing XI, Pitch Report & Updates

Preview:

Ireland and Afghanistan will take on each other in the 1st T20I of the five-match series on Tuesday (August 9) at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast. Ireland have lost their last 11 international matches including the final of the T20 World Cup Qualifier. In the last two months, they have played bilateral series against the likes of India, New Zealand, and South Africa. They managed to deliver decent performances against all these heavyweights and most of the matches were equally contested by Ireland. In the last 5 T20Is, Ireland have scored over 170 runs twice. Against India, they almost chased down a target of 226 runs in June. Ireland will present a strong case in this series and it won’t be an easy task for Afghanistan, who have won the last 12 out of 13 T20Is against Ireland.

Afghanistan had a clean sweep win over Zimbabwe in both ODI as well as T20I series in June. They even defeated Bangladesh in a T20I match in March. Most of the players have had a great outing in the domestic T20 tournament which completed last month. Both the teams are in equally good form and this is likely to be an equal contest.

Match Details:

Ireland vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I

Venue: Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast

Date & Time: 9th August at 8:00 PM IST and 3:30 PM Local Time

Live Streaming: FanCode

IRE vs AFG, 1st T20I Pitch Report:

The pitch is likely to provide an ample amount of support to the batters and they might be able to pile up a huge total in this match. Pacers might be able to use the surface in the second half and the team winning the toss might look to bat.

Injury News:

(will be added when there is an update)

IRE vs AFG, 1st T20I Probable Playing XIs:

Ireland

Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little

Afghanistan

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq

Top Picks for IRE vs AFG Dream11 Match:

Top Picks – Batters

Paul Stirling:

He is one of the most experienced players in Ireland’s squad and might play a key role in this game. He is just 60 runs away from scoring 3000 runs in T20Is and is currently the fourth-highest run-scorer in the shortest format.

Harry Tector:

The middle-order batter has been in great form recently for Ireland. He has been the highest run-scorer for Ireland in ODIs this year and has performed exceptionally well in T20Is as well. In 11 T20Is this year, he has made 289 runs at a strike rate of 133.17.

Top Picks – All-Rounders

Curtis Campher:

He made his T20I debut last year against Zimbabwe and has played 17 matches for Ireland. He has made 250 runs at a strike rate of 116.82 and has picked 16 wickets at an average of 25.18.

Karim Janat:

In 7 matches this year in the Shpageeza Cricket League, he made 158 runs at an average of 26.33 and a strike rate of 139.82. He also picked 6 wickets at an average of 24.16, an economy of 6.9, and a strike rate of 21.

Top Picks – Bowlers

Rashid Khan:

In 6 matches in the T20 Blast 2022, he picked 8 wickets at an average of 21.88, an economy of 7.29, and a strike rate of 18. He is just 3 wickets away from becoming the second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is.

Naveen-ul-Haq:

He last played a T20I for Afghanistan in January this year. The 22-years-old fast bowler has played only 13 T20Is for Afghanistan, however, he has experience of playing in over 100 T20 matches. In the recently completed T20 Blast, he was the second-highest wicket-taker with 25 wickets at an average of 16.16.

Mark Adair:

The 26-years-old bowling all-rounder has played 46 T20Is for Ireland and has taken 65 wickets at an average of 19.13, an economy of 7.5, and a strike rate of 15.3. He has also scored 372 runs at a strike rate of 121.17. He has picked 14 wickets in 15 T20Is this year and might play a key role for Ireland in this match.

Top Picks – Wicketkeeper

Rahmanullah Gurbaz:

In 9 matches in the Shpageeza Cricket League 2022, he made 342 runs at an average of 48.85 and a strike rate of 181.91. He was the only batter who scored a century in the tournament.

IRE vs AFG Must Picks for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for IRE vs AFG Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Lorcan Tucker, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Paul Stirling, Najibullah Zadran, Harry Tector (VC), Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Curtis Campher, Craig Young, Rashid Khan (C), Naveen-ul-Haq

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for IRE vs AFG Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Lorcan Tucker, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (C), Paul Stirling (VC), Najibullah Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Mark Adair, Rashid Khan, Barry McCarthy

IRE vs AFG Risky Captaincy Choices:

Najibullah Zadran:

In 10 matches in the Shpageeza Cricket League this year, he made 397 runs at an average of 56.71 and a strike rate of 163.37 including four half-centuries, and was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. The left-handed batter has played only 5 T20Is for Afghanistan this year and has made 130 runs.

Lorcan Tucker:

This year has been the best for Lorcan Tucker’s T20I career since his debut. In 15 matches this year, he has 238 runs at an average of 18.30 and a strike rate of 127.95.

Player you should avoid:

Azmatullah Omarzai:

The 22-years-old all-rounder made his T20I debut this year against Bangladesh and managed to pick 5 wickets in just 2 matches. In the last T20I match against Bangladesh, he picked 3 wickets for 22 runs and went on to win the Player of the Match award. However, he was not able to pick a single wicket in the three-match series against Zimbabwe.

Note: Updated Fantasy teams and Playing XIs of every match will be provided in our Telegram channel if the information is available.

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.