Afghanistan - (Source: AFP)
On Monday, August 10, Ireland will host Afghanistan for the 3rd of a five-match ODI series at the Stormont Stadium in Belfast. The Afghans are leading the series 1-0 and have the chance to extend their lead.
After a washout in the 1st ODI, Afghanistan registered a 92-run win in the 2nd ODI to go ahead. Rashid Khan was the star with the ball, and picked up a six-wicket haul. Khan’s heroics also helped Afghanistan qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The Rehmat Shah-led side have already fulfilled their goal to confirm World Cup birth, and now it will eye to clinch the series as well. Meanwhile, this article will shed light on Afghanistan’s predicted playing XI vs Ireland for the 3rd ODI.
Top Order: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal
Afghanistan will stick with the same top-order. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran got the start in the 2nd ODI, but Zadran stole the limelight with his 84-run knock. Sediqullah Atal too found his touch and scored a brilliant 45 (50).
The top-order is doing their job, which is to provide a platform for the middle-order to come and accelerate the innings. Shedding light on individual performances, Rahmanullah Gurbaz is fresh off a brilliant GSL 2026, where he scored 177 runs in 5 innings, averaging 35.40.
Middle Order & Allrounders: Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli
The middle-order too were promising in the 2nd ODI against Ireland. Skipper Rahmat Shah got the start alongside Azmatullah Omarzai but failed to convert them into big scores. However, Omarzai was brilliant with the ball and took a couple of wickets to rattle Ireland.
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Hashmatullah Shahidi featured in his 1st ODI as a player in a long time and played a big part. Notably, Shahidi stayed until the end and scored an unbeaten 36 (21). Further, there is doubt over Darwish Rasooli’s place in the team because he didn’t had a great 3rd ODI.
Notably, Rasooli scored just 16 (19), but the Afghans are likely to hand him a longer rope and retain him for the upcoming match.
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Allah Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohammad Saleem
Among the bowlers, all eyes will be on Rashid Khan, who spun his web of magic in the 2nd ODI and registered the figures of 6/34 in 7.4 overs. Rashid Khan etched his name into history, and that too when he left a franchise commitment in between to join the national team.
Rest: Allah Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Mohammad Saleem will be the other bowlers. The bowlers didn’t get the chance to shine their mettle because Rashid Khan stole the limelight. Hence, Afghanistan will not make any changes to their playing XI.
Afghanistan Predicted Playing XI vs Ireland – 3rd ODI 2026
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli, Rashid Khan, Allah Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohammad Saleem
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