Afghanistan vs Ireland, 3rd ODI at Greater Noida, Mar 19 2017, Ireland tour of United Arab Emirates and India

RESULT
3rd ODI, Greater Noida, March 19, 2017, Ireland tour of United Arab Emirates and India
(48.3/50 ov, T:265) 265/4

Ireland won by 6 wickets (with 9 balls remaining)

Player Of The Match
99 (114)
paul-stirling
Match centre 
Comms: Akshay Gopalakrishnan
Scorecard summary
Afghanistan 264/8(50 overs)
56 (50)
2/49 (10)
2/55 (10)
Ireland 265/4(48.3 overs)

So Ireland have breathed some life into a one-sided series and kept their chances alive. What it means is that there is plenty to look forward to when the two teams clash again on Wednesday. Is this where things begin to turn around for Ireland? We will find out in the fourth ODI. Until then, it is goodbye from all of us here. Hope you enjoyed our coverage and thank you for joining us.

William Porterfield, the winning captain for the first time - We did a lot of things right. I think we have continued to do things right, we did them in the first two games as well but we had to get across the line which is important. We have seen how good a scoring ground it is and how quick the outfield is, all credit to the boys for getting the job done. Stirling has been fantastic so far, two nineties and a 70. All credit to Balbirnie as well. It was a must-win game for us, as it will be in the next game. We are happy to get the win today and look forward to doing well on Wednesday.

Asghar Stanikzai - Ireland played very well, Stirling especially. We started poorly with the bat. It's a part of the game, sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. On this wicket, I think 265 is good, it is good for spin as well. Unfortunately, today our spinners were also poor and we gave away too many boundaries. Ireland played very well today.

Stirling - Absolutely, the main thing was to get the first win under the belt. It was nice to get a personal score, but the win was important. I think we would have taken 260 at the start of the game. Had we not lost the toss and batted first, we would have taken 260. Great knock from Bal (Balbirne) tonight, coming in and scoring 80-odd not out is a good achievement.

Paul Stirling is the Man of the Match for his 99

Presentation time.

4.52pm For the first time on the tour, Ireland's players are a happy bunch. Smiles all around and they have every reason to be thrilled. This has been a long, hard, fruitless tour and finally, they have found a way to beat Afghanistan. And it was a win well-earned. Paul Stirling their hero again with a well-paced one-day innings. He was willing to grind it out after the loss of Ed Joyce and his captain William Porterfield. His innings once again highlights the importance of strike rotation, especially on a slow pitch like this, where scoring big isn't always easy. It is something Afghanistan do not do very well, and there is probably something to learn for them from this defeat. Stirling played time, pinched the singles, tried to build a partnership before going for his shots. He was very unfortunate to miss out on a century, but he will not mid that one bit as his effort has come in a match-winning cause. Not to forget Balbirnie, who was steady and never lost courage and hope even when the equation was tough. In the end, he has made this chase look easier than it actually was, but that only reinforces the quality of his innings.

Akseli: "The last 3 international cricket matches have all been won by the visitors. Also in all these matches visitors have bowled first. First SA won NZ in Wellington. Then BD won SL in Colombo. The last win being an Irish win against Afg in Greater Noida."

Mujtaba: "This is what you get when you become predictable and reluctant to change. Playing the same team 3 times in a row and expecting your opponents to commit the same mistakes." It is not good to be predictable, agreed. But I'm not sure I agree with making team changes. Afghanistan were playing so well, their XI was clicking and they had been so dominant heading into this game. Why chop and change something that is working for you?

Jon: "Congrats Ireland. So unlucky until today against an solid Afg side - the difference between these sides is small."

Hamid: "Well done Ireland... Rashid wicket-less here, this is probably the best they have achieved here for the remaining two games also... Afghanistan will have a lot to learn here..."

48.3
4
Zadran to Wilson, FOUR runs

and that's the game for Ireland. Full and on the fifth-stump channel and that does it for Ireland. Drilled through covers and he has placed that so well. Wide of the sweeper cover fielder and into the deep extra cover boundary

48.2
1
Zadran to Balbirnie, 1 run

goes for the yorker again but bowls a full toss on the stumps, driven on the up and the ball drops just short of the fielder diving to his front at covers

48.1
Zadran to Balbirnie, no run

on the blockhole on leg, dug out to the off side and the bowler picks it up on the follow-through

Just five required now. Two full overs to get them off. Here comes Dawlat

end of over 487 runs
IRE: 260/4CRR: 5.41 RRR: 2.50
Andy Balbirnie84 (72b 11x4 1x6)
Gary Wilson24 (27b 3x4)
Rashid Khan 10-1-44-0
Dawlat Zadran 9-1-47-2
47.6
1
Rashid Khan to Balbirnie, 1 run

flat and outside off, opens the face of his bat to short third man

47.5
4
Rashid Khan to Balbirnie, FOUR runs

swept away and not a clean stop at the deep midwicket boundary. The fielder dives but he has not got his hands on the ball which goes from beneath him and into the boundary

47.4
1
Rashid Khan to Wilson, 1 run

and again he slaps off the backfoot but this time there is more room and he gets it off the middle of the bat before sweeper tidies up

47.3
Rashid Khan to Wilson, no run

tries to cut but there is really not enough room, gets an inside edge towards the keeper. Could have chopped on

47.2
1
Rashid Khan to Balbirnie, 1 run

flat and pitched up outside off, pushed off the front foot to sweeper cover for one. Singles will do it for Ireland

47.1
Rashid Khan to Balbirnie, no run

sliding on middle and leg and spinning away, tries a sweep across the line and gets beaten

Ireland have brought it down to 12 off the last three overs now. Can Rashid pull off something here?

end of over 4712 runs
IRE: 253/4CRR: 5.38 RRR: 4.00
Gary Wilson23 (25b 3x4)
Andy Balbirnie78 (68b 10x4 1x6)
Dawlat Zadran 9-1-47-2
Rashid Khan 9-1-37-0
46.6
4
Zadran to Wilson, FOUR runs

full and on the stumps, he is backing away and whips it with the inward angle to deep midwicket. It was the off-cutter and he picked it early, fielder at deep midwicket dives but makes contact with the ball while he is touching the ropes

46.5
Zadran to Wilson, no run

full and wide, holding its line, slashes away from the body, he had to get near it and ends up getting beaten

Third man comes up.

46.4
1
Zadran to Balbirnie, 1 run

short of a length outside off, rolls his fingers over the seam and the batsman chops the cut to covers

46.3
6
Zadran to Balbirnie, SIX runs

what a shot! Picks the length very early. Backs away and stays leg side of it. It is full and he has given himself enough room before neatly lofting it over the extra cover and mid-off region

46.2
Zadran to Balbirnie, no run

advances down the track and the bowler drags the length back, he is forced to respond with a pull shot that is dragged towards mid-on

46.1
1
Zadran to Wilson, 1 run

fullish and on middle and leg, tries to drill it through the off side and squirts it off the inside part of the bat to midwicket for one

Equation down to a run a ball now.

Laiqkhan Rafeh: "@Akbar Iqbal, agree on Shazad fitness, but not on Shafaq for his replacement, I think in ODI Afsar Zazai would be the best option."

end of over 469 runs
IRE: 241/4CRR: 5.23 RRR: 6.00
Andy Balbirnie71 (65b 10x4)
Gary Wilson18 (22b 2x4)
Rashid Khan 9-1-37-0
Dawlat Zadran 8-1-35-2
45.6
Rashid Khan to Balbirnie, no run

pushed through quicker outside off, defended

45.5
4
Rashid Khan to Balbirnie, FOUR runs

oh, he has picked the gap beautifully here. It is full on middle and he has got the front leg across. Sweeps wide of the deep backward square leg fielder, gets it a lot finer of the man there

45.4
Rashid Khan to Balbirnie, no run

pushed through quicker outside off, hurries him for pace and gets him beaten

45.3
4
Rashid Khan to Balbirnie, FOUR runs

pitched up outside off, not much pace on the surface which means clearing the in-field is always hard. Chips a drive but he has picked the gap well, clearing the short extra cover fielder and beats long-off running to his left and diving

45.2
1
Rashid Khan to Wilson, 1 run

again swept from outside off. Moves across as it is fired outside off and the ball is hit out to deep midwicket

Match details
Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground, Greater Noida
TossAfghanistan, elected to bat first
Series
Season2016/17
Player Of The Match
Series resultAfghanistan led the 5-match series 2-1
Match numberODI no. 3852
Hours of play (local time)09.30 start, First Session 09.30-13.00 Interval 13.00-13.45, Second Session 13.45-17.15
Match days19 March 2017 - day (50-over match)
Umpires
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