Twitter reacts as Afghanistan cleansweep Ireland courtesy Nabi and Rashid heroics

After a low-scoring thriller, Afghanistan smashed home quite a lot of records on Saturday and registered their biggest win in T20Is. On Sunday, they rounded off a perfect weekend and series as they managed to cleansweep their Irish opponents.

Batting first in the dead-rubber clash, Hazratullah Zazai once again started on a strong note and smashed Rankin and Chase to all parts. Boyd Rankin nevertheless got his revenge as he sent Zazai back after his 17-ball 32. The middle order struggled to cope with the Irish momentum and although runs were coming, they never came thick and fast.

It took a monumental effort from Mohammad Nabi to get his side to a high score and towards the end, he went berserk. His 81 off 36 balls, which included 6 fours and 7 sixes, helped Afghanistan post a massive total. They finished with 210/7 in 20 overs, which was quite amazing considering where they were 10 overs prior.

Rashid Khan spoils Ireland’s night

Ireland got off to a fantastic start chasing a huge total, just the way they did chasing 279 in the previous encounter. After Paul Stirling’s early departure, Kevin O’Brien and Andy Balbirnie structured the run chase brilliantly and showcased some amazing strokeplay.

Kevin O’Brien completed a fifty and was backed brilliantly by Balbirnie’s 47 as their 96-run partnership kept Ireland on top. But the Afghan spinners had other ideas and pulled things back brilliantly. Ziaur Rahman, despite conceding a lot of runs, picked up some crucial wickets, most important one being Balbirnie’s scalp in the middle overs. After that, it was all Rashid and his trickery.

He first struck with the wicket of Kevin O’Brien and later came on to provide one of the best spells of his life. With the wickets of Getkate, Simi Singh and Joshua Little in three consecutive deliveries, Rashid Khan became the first spinner in T20I history pick up a hat-trick.

That completed the Irish demolition and concluded Afghanistan’s dominance temporarily, which might resume again when they play each other in a few days time again.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to their performance.