Afghanistan vs Ireland, 1st ODI: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Afghanistan and Ireland will be facing off in the first of the five-match series on Thursday in Dehradun. The visitors lost all the three T20Is and will be hoping to fare better in the fifty-over format. These matches are more important for Afghanistan in the lead up to the World Cup and they will definitely look to settle down with a 15-man group by the time the series ends.

William Porterfield and a few format specialists have joined the team for this series for Ireland which must have boosted the team. Tim Murtagh’s presence also makes the bowling look a bit strong. On the other hand, Afghanistan’s batting look good while their bowling attack is bolstered with the presence of Shapoor and Dawlat Zadran.

Match Details:

The first game of the 5-match ODI series between Afghanistan and Ireland will be hosted by the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

The match starts at 1:00 PM local time (IST) (7:30 AM GMT).

The game will be live on DSport in India.

Last five completed ODI matches:

Afghanistan: T, L, L, W, W.

Ireland: L, W, L, L, W.

Pitch Condition/Report:

Average first innings score: N/A (0 List A matches)

Record of chasing teams: N/A

Probable XI:

Afghanistan:

Mohammad Shahzad (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan(C), Samiullah Shenwari, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Bench: Javed Ahmadi, Zahir Khan, Fareed Malik, Najibullah Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran, Ikram Ali Khil, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Aftab Alam, Sayed Shirzad.

Ireland:

William Porterfield(C), Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, Andy McBrine, Kevin O Brien, Simi Singh, Stuart Poynter (WK), George Dockrell, Tim Murtagh, Peter Chase, Boyd Rankin.

Bench – James McCollum, Barry McCarthy, James Cameron-Dow, Lorcan Tucker.

Injury and Availability News:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Power Picks:

Rashid Khan:

Picked at least one wicket in each of the previous 12 ODIs – 118 wickets in 52 ODIs at an average of 14.47.

Picked at least one wicket in 23 out of 24 ODIs in Asia – 62 wickets from 24 ODIs at an average of 13.66.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain options –Paul Stirling, Rahmat Shah, Rashid Khan, Andrew Balbirnie

Vice-Captain options –Boyd Rankin, Mohammad Nabi, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield

Alternatives – Hazratullah Zazai, Asghar Afghan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Andy McBrine

Suggested Playing XI for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Mohammad Shahzad

Batsmen – Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling (C)

All-Rounders – Mohammad Nabi, Kevin O Brien

Bowlers – Rashid Khan (VC), George Dockrell, Tim Murtagh.

Suggested Playing XI for Grand Leagues/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – Stuart Poynter

Batsmen – Asghar Afghan, Rahmat Shah, William Porterfield (VC), Andrew Balbirnie

All-Rounders – Mohammad Nabi (C), Kevin O Brien

Bowlers – Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Boyd Rankin.

Expert Advice:

With 21 players in their squad, Afghanistan are expected to make a lot of experiments in this series ahead of the World Cup. It will be ideal to pick players from Afghanistan squad only after completion of the toss.

Mohammad Shahzad, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are the ones who usually perform consistently for Afghanistan in this format.

Probable Winners:

Afghanistan are expected to take an early lead in the series.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

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