Afghanistan and Ireland are set to play the first T20I of the series which will be played in India. The match will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket stadium in Dehradun on Thursday, February 21, 2019.

Live updates:

Ireland have won the toss and opted to bat.

The game will start at 6:30 PM IST, 1:00 PM GMT.

The tour will comprise of three T20Is, five ODIs and one Test. All the matches will be played at the adopted home ground of Afghanistan cricket team in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The tour will also mark the first occasion of a Test between the two new Test-playing nations.

AFG v IRE 1st T20I broadcast details

DSport will broadcast AFG vs IRE 1st T20I for the viewers in India. Sky Sports Cricket will broadcast the series for the viewers across the United Kingdom. Willow TV will televise the games in the United States.

DSport recently came into the headlines for cancelling the broadcast of Pakistan Super League 2019 in India after the tensions between the two neighbouring countries increased in the Jammu and Kashmir attacks of the Indian soldiers.

Read: Big Bash League: Hobart Hurricanes v Melbourne Stars live streaming on Fox Sports

Shahzad not included in the T20 squad

Mohammad Shahzad, the wicket-keeper batsman of Afghanistan has been left out of the T20Is but he will rejoin the team for the rest of the tour.

Saifuddin Ashraf has been taken into the team while left-arm Chinaman Zahir Khan has been called up for both the T20Is and the ODIs.

Hazratullah Zazai, the left-handed batsman who has been impressive in the T20 leagues in the UAE, has been given a spot in the squad for the limited overs matches. Zia-Ur-Rahman is another spinner in the squad which already comprises of Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan.

Stirling to lead the Irish team

Ireland has called up some of the young guns like Harry Tector, Joshua Little and Shane Getkate.

The trio was with the squad during the recently concluded Quadrilateral series in Oman. Lorcan Tucker, the wicketkeeper-batsman is another new face in the Irish side. There is some experience in the line-up as well with the likes of George Dockrell, Kevin O Brien and Boyd Rankin. Paul Stirling will be leading the side.

The weather forecast predicts rains during the day but it is likely to clear by the time the match starts in the evening.

According to the Cricbuzz report, if the rains stay persistent then the match could be called off entirely as well. The pitch could play in favour of the spinners and Afghanistan lineup which is spin-heavy could actually have an advantage.

Also read: Sky Sports live streaming England vs West Indies 3rd Test at 14 GMT