Paul Stirling joins exclusive club as Ireland squeeze past Afghanistan
Paul Stirling of Ireland during the Men's T20 International match between Ireland and Afghanistan
PAUL STIRLING became the fourth batsman to pass 3,000 runs in T20 internationals in Belfast as Ireland squeezed past Afghanistan by seven wickets with two balls to spare in a rain-effected match to complete a 3-2 series win.
The Boys in Green received a favourable Duckworth-Lewis calculation that set a target of 56 to win from seven overs and after Stirling had holed out for 16, in-form George Dockrell got the job done with two crunching fours
In the 15 overs possible before a lengthy rain break, Ireland opening bowlers Mark Adair and Josh Little shared the wickets while leg-spinner Gareth Delany was again tidy in helping restrict Afghanistan to 95-5.
Adair struck twice in the second over to remove both openers, and claimed another in his next, while Little gave another example of the quality that is attracting T20 franchises around the world with a sensational 11th over.
The left-armer, who will tomorrow join up with Manchester Originals for the rest of The Hundred tournament in England, produced two snorters to give keeper Lorcan Tucker catches off successive balls, the second a superb scrambled one-hander.
The victim was Mohammad Nabi, the ageing Afghanistan skipper, whose golden duck meant he ended a dismal series with 25 runs from five innings on the Stormont ground where he will always be remembered for illegally running out Ed Joyce in 2016.
“I’ve really enjoyed the roles that I have taken on this year,” Dockrell, the Player-of-the-Series said. “We’ve got a real license to be positive and execute things. We have learnt a huge amount this summer and to win a series like this is fantastic.”
Meanwhile, the agreement and publication of the Future Tours Programme for 2023-27 sees Ireland slated to play 12 Test matches, including four at home, 54 one-day internationals and 47 T20is during the four-year period.
A Test away to England next year is inked in, with a three-match ODI series against the same opposition planned to follow later that summer, with Australia visiting Ireland for three ODIs in September 2024.
While Test matches may take place on tours of both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka this winter, Ireland are not scheduled to play one at home until August, 2024, against Zimbabwe, six years after their inaugural Test against Pakistan at Malahide.
The cost of staging five-day matches, including the expense of building pop-up stadiums and installing DRS equipment, means that the fixtures are not set in stone, or may yet be played at an established venue in England.
