Ireland look to bounce back in must-win game

OverviewIreland v AfghanistanBready, Derry
2nd T20I
Wednesday, 22 August, 16:00 Local (16:00 BST)

Following their 16-run win in the opening T20I at Bready Cricket Club, Afghanistan are bound to be high on confidence when they face the hosts in the second of the three T20Is on Wednesday, 22 August at the same venue.

Twenty-year-old opening bat Hazratullah Zazai's 33-ball 74 made the real difference for the visitors, his runs powering them to a competitive total of 160/7 in 18 overs. His effort was later well complemented by Afghanistan's bowlers as Ireland were restricted to 144/9.

However, batting could be a concern for Afghanistan. Apart from Zazai, only opener Mohammad Shahzad (29) and captain Asghar Afghan (31) scored in double-digits, while the rest of the line-up crumbled against Ireland's pacers.

The top three batsmen accounted for almost 84 per cent of the team's runs, while the six other batsmen who got a hit scored just 16 runs from 25 balls.

Afghanistan's real strength is in their bowling. They will pin their hopes on the pace duo of Aftab Alam and Fareed Ahmad, while Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will once again have to take up the responsibility of being the ace spinners, as they did in the first game, sharing five wickets between them.

Meanwhile, Ireland will look to correct their mistakes from the first match. They too need improvement in their batting, especially from the likes of Stuart Thompson, William Porterfield and Kevin O'Brien, who all fell for single-digit scores. Paul Stirling did impress in the first game before being caught by a stunner in the deep, and his form is an encouraging sign for Ireland.

The hosts will also need their captain Gary Wilson, who top-scored with 34 runs, to take up the responsibility in the middle-order again along with support from Simi Singh and George Dockrell.

In the bowling front, Tyrone Kane turned out to be the most expensive of the lot, giving away 50 runs from his four overs, while Joshua Little was their star bowler, finishing with 2/20. Ireland will hope for a better collective show on that front as well.

Key players

**Simi Singh (Ireland):**Singh showed off his all-round qualities in the first match. The off-spinner, after finishing with figures of 1/27 from three overs, went on to score 20 runs off 17 balls.

**Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan):**The opener brought up his maiden half-century in his second T20I, scoring a splendid 74. His 33-ball knock was studded with eight fours and six sixes.

Conditions

Light showers are once again expected to interrupt the play and the temperature might drop to 10°C on a pitch likely to be good for stroke-players.

Squad

**Ireland:**Gary Wilson (c), Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, David Delany, George Dockrell, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Kevin O’Brien, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, James Shannon, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Stuart Thompson

**Afghanistan:**Mohammad Shahzad, Usman Ghani, Hazratullah Zazai, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Asghar Afghan (c), Samiullah Shenwari, Mirwais Ashraf, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Aftab Alam, Farid Malik