AFG vs IRE, 2021: 2nd ODI – Afghanistan’s big chase, Stirling’s record hundred, Afghanistan's record partnership and more stats

Afghanistan completed an ODI series win against Ireland after they took a 2-0 lead with help of a 7-wicket win on Sunday. Paul Stirling played a brilliant knock on what seemed to be a turning pitch. The opening batsman scored 128 from only 132 balls as the Irish team finished with 259/9. Afghanistan lost both their openers in the space of four balls and were 44/2 in the 9th over. But Rahmat Shah (103* off 109) kept the scorecard ticking along with Hashmatullah Shahidi (82 in 100) to seal a win for Afghanistan with an unbeaten hundred.

Here are all the statistical highlights from Afghanistan’s 7-wicket victory during the 2nd ODI in Abu Dhabi:

Afghanistan’s big chase:

260 – Afghanistan’s successful chase of the 260-run target is now their biggest ODI chase against Ireland. Afghanistan’s previous highest successful chase in ODI format against Ireland is only 230 during the 2017 Greater Noida ODI.

Rahmat Shah guides Afghanistan with a hundred:

3 – Three of Rahmat Shah’s five ODI centuries came while chasing which are the joint-most number of tons for Afghanistan in ODI chases alongside Mohammad Shahzad (3). Rahmat’s five tons are the 2nd most ODI hundreds for Afghanistan behind Shahzad’s six.

Stirling’s record hundred:

5 – As many as five out of Paul Stirling’s 11 ODI hundreds have resulted in Irish defeats including three 125+ scores. Only Chris Gayle (6), Sachin Tendulkar (6), Rohit Sharma (4) and Brendan Taylor (4) have more 125+ scores in ODI defeats than Stirling.

128 – Stirling’s 128-run knock in the 2nd AFG vs IRE ODI is the 2nd highest individual score for Ireland in an ODI inning where no other player scored even a fifty. Stirling himself scored 177 against Canada in 2010 while the 2nd highest individual score of the innings was only 30 runs.

Stirling on top of Ireland lists:

11 – Paul Stirling now has scored as many as 11 centuries in ODI cricket; the joint-most by any player for Ireland. William Porterfield also has 11 ODI tons for the Irish team thus far.

5004 – Stirling completed 5000 runs in List A cricket while representing the Ireland team when he went past his individual score of 124. He is now only the 2nd player after William Porterfield (5109) to amass 5000+ List A runs for Ireland.

A record stand for the Afghans:

184 – Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi put on a 184-run partnership which is now the first 150+ stand for the 3rd wicket for Afghanistan in ODI format. This is also the highest ODI stand of Afghanistan for the 3rd or a lower wicket and the highest for any wicket in the last 10 years for them.

Overall, the 184-run stand between Rahmat and Shahidi is the 3rd highest by an Afghanistan pair in ODI cricket for any wicket. Karim Sadiq and Mohammad Shahzad shared an unbeaten 218-run partnership against Scotland in the 2010 Ayr ODI while Noor Ali Zadran and Mohammad Shahzad put on 205 in the 2010 Sharjah ODI; both for the 2nd wicket only.

Naveen stars with the ball:

21y 123d – Naveen-ul-Haq, at the age of 21 years and 123 days, became the 2nd youngest pacer with a 4-wicket haul for Afghanistan in ODI cricket. Izatullah Dawlatzai, who currently plays for Germany, was 20 years and 326 days old when he claimed a 4-fer for the Afghans in the 2012 Sharjah ODI against the Netherlands.