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Afghanistan opt to bowl first as Ireland bat in decisive third ODI
Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah won the toss and elected to field first against Ireland in the third and decisive one-day international at Civil Service Club, Belfast on Monday. The match began at…
The Story in Brief
Afghanistan captain Rahmat Shah won the toss and elected to field first against Ireland in the third and decisive one-day international at Civil Service Club, Belfast on Monday. The match began at 3:15 PM IST. Ireland, trailing 1-0 in the three-match series, need a win to level. Afghanistan made one change, bringing in left-arm spinner Zahir Khan for pacer Fareed Ahmad. Ireland retained the same XI from the second ODI, which they lost by 64 runs. The series has been dominated by Afghanistan's spinners, with Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman sharing nine wickets in the first two matches.
The Indian Opinion
The clamour for a fourth or fifth ODI between these two evenly matched sides is predictable but misplaced. Afghanistan's spinners have dominated this series, yet Ireland's top order collapse in Belfast exposes a familiar fragility. Instead of more matches, critics should ask: when will Ireland develop batting depth against quality spin? The real test awaits both teams, not on the number of ODIs, but on whether they can win when conditions aren't tailored to their strengths.
Sources (2): ndtvprofit.com, sportstar.thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
