With a bulk of pressure pondering over, Ireland will face Afghanistan in the second ODI on Wednesday, August 29, 2018. The match will be played at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Dublin.
Live updates:
The match is scheduled to start at 9:45 AM GMT, 2:15 PM AFT.
Afghanistan is leading the three-match ODI series 1-0, after winning the first ODI by 29 runs on Monday. Batting first, the tourists put on 227 for 9 on the board in 50 overs and went on to defend the score by restricting the hosts to 198 all-out.
Ireland players will have to produce some serious performances to ensure they don't lose the ODI series like the T20I series prior to this.
TV telecast and live streaming
- India & Subcontinent: Sony Six, Sony Six HD, SonyLiv, Cricketgateway
- UK: BBC, Cricketgateway
- Australia: Fox Sports
- South Africa: SuperSport
- Ireland: BBC Sport NI, live stream on Cricketgateway.com
- New Zealand: SKY Sport NZ
The live streaming will be available on BBC Sports.
NEWS FOR UK RESIDENTS -- Great support by @BBCSPORTNI for the current Ireland v Afghanistan series means that the remaining two ODIs (Wednesday and Friday) will now be available to UK residents on the BBC Red Button service on TV.
— Cricket Ireland (@Irelandcricket) August 28, 2018
Note: this is for UK residents only, not ROI. pic.twitter.com/CWr2qCi4Jx
Ireland's trouble against spin
Ireland is on the verge of another series defeat after losing the first ODI.
The hosts have looked pale in front of the Afghani side, but it's really their batting which has lacked resistance against the opposition's spinners. It's not like the Irish team have batted well against seamers, but their problems against spin are been highlighted time and again. They might be unchanged for the second game, as the bench strength isn't adequate to face this skilled Afghani side.
@BBCSPORTNI website will also live-stream the matches as they did yesterday, but residents of the UK won't be able to use the Cricket Gateway website. Note: This does not affect residents in the Republic of Ireland or other countries that currently have access to Cricket Gateway.
— Cricket Ireland (@Irelandcricket) August 28, 2018
Having won the first ODI, Afghanistan would be confident.
They are yet to lose a game against Ireland on this tour and have clearly been the better of the two sides.
Considering their success in the first game, it is unlikely that the visitors will make any changes to their XI for the second game. Once again, the spin trio of Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan will be key to Afghanistan's approach as they look to wrap the series up 2-0 with a win in the second ODI.
The second ODI match of the ongoing series between Afghanistan and @Irelandcricket starts at 2:30 PM (AFT) today. Afghanistan leads the series 1- 0.#AFGvIRE #2ndODI pic.twitter.com/NEPUqwJuT5
— Afghan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) August 29, 2018
History favors Ireland but conditions suit the Afghans
The pitch in Dublin turned out to be slower than expected during the first one-dayer.
But it should be noted that there was enough spin on offer.
Even if the margin of victory was just 29 runs, Afghanistan was obviously the better side as Ireland never seem to have complete control of the game. If the pitch stays the same, it will favor the visitors.
💯
— Afghan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) August 29, 2018
Afghanistan will face Ireland in its #100thODI today. On 19th of April 2009, Afghanistan played its first ever ODI against Scotland winning the match by 89 runs. Afghanistan has won 52 and lost 45 of the 99 ODIs it has played so far while two matches ended with No result. pic.twitter.com/ya6cG2JvWi
As the stats suggest, the Civil Service Cricket Club is the venue where the Irishmen have the best record.
The home team will be hope to cash on this record and deliver a good performance.
The weather forecast in Dublin gives us a positive signal with chances of rain being extremely low. So, it is safe to assume we will have a complete 100 overs game on the cards.
