Ireland go up against Afghanistan in the second T20 International on August 11 at Stormont in Belfast from 8:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).

The Irish cricket team beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first T20I match of the series. The Afghans scored 168 runs in the first innings thanks to Usman Ghani’s 42-ball 59 and Ibrahim Zadran’s unbeaten 29 off 18 balls. Barry McCarthy picked three wickets for Ireland while George Dockrell picked two.

Andrew Balbirnie’s 51 off 38 balls and Lorcan Tucker’s 32-ball 50 helped Ireland chase down the target with one ball to spare. Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Naveen-ul-Haq picked one wicket each for the Afghan side. 

Ireland came into the first T20I having lost their last series 2-0 to South Africa while the Afghan cricket team came in having beaten Zimbabwe 3-0. Ireland are currently 15th on the Men’s ICC T20I Team Rankings while the Afghans are ninth.

Ireland vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I odds

Parimatch odds: Ireland: 2.48, Afghanistan: 1.52

Betwinner odds: Ireland: 2.50, Afghanistan: 1.53

Bet365 odds: Ireland: 2.50, Afghanistan: 1.53

MELBET odds: Ireland: 2.50, Afghanistan: 1.53

Note: Odds are subject to change. Please visit betting sites to check and confirm the latest odds.

Ireland vs Afghanistan head-to-head in T20Is

Ireland has won five while Afghanistan has won 14 out of their 19 matches against each other in this format.

Afghanistan has won three out of the last five T20Is against Ireland. Ireland beat Afghanistan by five wickets in their first encounter in T20Is in 2009.

Ireland vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I probable playing XI

Ireland: Andy Balbirnie (captain), Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wicketkeeper), Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Curtis Campher, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Josh Little. 

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Usman Ghani, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Naveen ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Ireland vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I top picks

Ireland: Harry Tector will be the top pick from the Irish side. Tector has scored 713 runs in 39 T20Is. The 22-year-old has an average of 24.6 with the bat and a strike rate of 129.2 in this format. The right-handed batter had scored 103 runs in two T20Is against India at a strike rate of 168.85. Tector had also scored two centuries in the ODIseries against New Zealand.

Afghanistan: Mujeeb Ur Rehman will be the player to watch out for from the Afghan side. The 21-year-old has picked 33 wickets in 24 games in this format. Rehman has an average of 16.3 with the ball and has an economy of 6.15. The Afghan spinner registered his best bowling figures of 5 for 20 against Scotland in 2021.

Ireland vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I prediction

Afghanistan has an edge going into the game against Ireland. The Afghans have a better head-to-head record against the hosts and are expected to bounce back and win this match.

Despite beating Afghanistan in the first game, Ireland is likely to struggle against a strong Afghan bowling attack.

Ireland vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I playing conditions and weather report

Maximum Temperature: 21°C

Precipitation: 0%

Humidity: 94%

Wind: 20 km/h