Afghanistan v Ireland - the ESPNcricinfo reader
A selection of some of our best articles on the two newest Test nations, who are set to play each other in their teams' second Tests
ESPNcricinfo staff
14-Mar-2019
Tim Murtagh claimed the key scalp of Azhar Ali in his first over • Sportsfile/Getty Images
The one-off Afghanistan v Ireland Test in Dehradun, only the second in the format for the two newest Test nations, will start on Friday, March 15. Here are some of our best pieces on the two teams.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan's players have surmounted incredible odds to change the image of their country in the lead-up to their maiden Test in Bengaluru
A visual narration of the evolution of Afghan cricket: from refugee camps to the World Cup and Test status
You've seen his "Champyan" dance, seen him hit sixes because running is tiring, celebrate even before completing stumpings. What you've not seen is his struggle to keep doing what he has done all his life: play cricket
Without nutrition on bodies bound to flag because of fasting, Afghanistan have religiously maintained admirable training regimes, and it showed
Ireland
Ed Joyce, William Porterfield and Niall O'Brien have waited most of their professional career for a chance at Test cricket: their first innings were done inside eight overs
Cricket was played on the island as far back as the 1730s. How the game fell out of favour, and is now finding its feet again, is a tale and a half
Perhaps no group of siblings has done as much for cricket in their country as the Joyces in Ireland
Ireland has always been a cricketing country, but now they are a Test nation