Afghanistan won by 16 runs - (Match reduced to 18 overs per-side due to rain)
Batter
Bowler
Afghanistan's level of cricket keeps elevating, Ireland will have a tough job catching up. They'll have to do so quickly in the second T20I which will be do or die. That's all for now. See you later.
20:03 Local Time, 19:03 GMT, 00:33 IST: Afghanistan looked like they had lost their way towards the end of their innings, but the way their bowlers started, it was as if they had never lost any momentum at all. Mujeeb Ur Rahman started off with two wickets in two overs, and Rashid Khan followed up with three of his own later on. Aftab Alam and Fareed Ahmad filled into their roles nicely too, ensuring that Ireland never found a grip on the chase. They needed Stirling and Wilson, who were the only ones to have found any sort of rhythm at all, to kick on for longer than they did. Actually, not many Afghanistan batsmen found it easy to get going in the first half too. That's where Hazratullah Zazai's brilliant 74 off 33 balls made all the difference.
END OF OVER 18
13 Runs
IRE: 144 - 9
W 4 4 W 1 4
Peter Chase
1 (1)
George Dockrell
22 (13)
Rashid Khan
4-0-35-3
Rashid Khan to Dockrell, FOUR, finishes with a powerful slog-sweep through midwicket, but it's a little too late for Ireland. Afghanistan hold on for a 16-run win and a 1-0 lead
Rashid Khan to Chase, 1 run, sweeps it hard to deep square leg
Peter Chase, right handed bat, comes to the crease
Rashid Khan to Tyrone Kane, out Caught by Najibullah!! Not bad footwork, going deep in the crease and opening up the pull shot, but he's caught at deep midwicket this time. Wasn't far from clearing the ropes, only that there wasn't enough elevation to take it over the fielder. Tyrone Kane c Najibullah b Rashid Khan 8(3) [4s-2]
Rashid Khan to Tyrone Kane, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
Rashid Khan to Tyrone Kane, FOUR, flat around off, Kane was cramped while looking to cut and his outside edge flies away through the vacant slip region
Rashid Khan to Tyrone Kane, FOUR, steps back, creates a short ball for himself and thumps it away through midwicket
Tyrone Kane, right handed bat, comes to the crease
Rashid Khan to Joshua Little, out Bowled!! Totally undone by the googly, the ball spins in through the gate and cleans everything up. Pretty audacious heave from Little, little idea he had about Rashid's variation. Joshua Little b Rashid Khan 0(1)
Rashid Khan to Joshua Little, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!
Joshua Little, right handed bat, comes to the crease
END OF OVER 17
6 Runs
IRE: 131 - 7
2 1 1 1 1 W
Simi Singh
20 (17)
George Dockrell
18 (12)
Aftab Alam
4-0-30-2
Aftab Alam to Simi Singh, out Caught by Mujeeb!! Short ball on middle, Simi pulls it away to fine leg. Straight to fine leg, that is. Thick top-edge probably. Simi Singh c Mujeeb b Aftab Alam 20(17) [6s-1]
Aftab Alam to Simi Singh, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
Aftab Alam to Dockrell, 1 run, makes room and clatters a middle-stump ball through cover
Aftab Alam to Simi Singh, 1 run, targets the stumps with a fuller delivery, Simi Singh drills it past mid-wicket, only a single on offer though
Aftab Alam to Dockrell, 1 run, goes back and across and slashes the ball back over the bowler's head, long-on tidies up
Aftab Alam to Simi Singh, 1 run, on the pads, helped away to fine leg
Aftab Alam to Simi Singh, 2 runs, slogged away over mid-wicket, the fielder in the deep comes running in and slips slightly to enable a second run